


Breaking Out

by Shadow_Paws



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Comics), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Drunken Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Near Death, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 90,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26528554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Paws/pseuds/Shadow_Paws
Summary: The memories of his time with Yondu Udonta were still fresh in Rocket's mind. "You can fool yourself but you can't fool me!" but Rocket was still fooling himself. Time was passing by and he had found himself once again hiding in his comfort zone. Little did he know the winds of change were on their way, whether he was ready or not. The time for running from his feelings and his past was up as Nova's Prime calls upon the Guardians for aid once more.
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill, Rocket Raccoon/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	1. Rendezvous

The sounds of the space port were a welcome release for Kai like white noise. Sipping at his cheap drink with a clear view of the landing terminals. Pretty sure his drink was mixed with fuel but he had a warm sensation in his stomach and it was getting the job done, it had been a while since Kai had stopped to take a moment. As moisture dripped off the canopy he was sitting under something caught his eye. There it was, the _Benatar_ , right on time as his intel had suggested. Not the smartest thing keeping tabs on the Guardians of the Galaxy as they were called. He grunted with a smirk wondering if the legends would live up to their name. Based on how the ship lurched into the terminal he was starting to question it already. Worst parking job in the port. No sense sitting around any longer Kai got up, he wasn't going to learn anymore about them from way up here. No rest for the wicked. Downing what was left of the blue liquid and giving a slight grimace as it went down he made for the shadows. It was time to get a closer look at this rag tag team. 

\----

"Quill are you trying to wreck this ship or were you just born stupid?" Rocket barked at Peter after they stumbled into the space port. 

"Hey I mastered the Milano it's just gonna take me a bit of time to get used to this one, I'm changing the habits of a lifetime here" Always cheery Peter brushed off Rockets insults.

"Changing the habit of being a bad pilot?" Drax asked in all seriousness.

"I am Groot" Groot chimed in. Gamora laughed at the jibes that brought a flush to Peters face.

"Well I'm the captain so I'm getting off MY ship to have some fun, I'm sure my crew will enjoy getting everything ready, gotta be in top shape for when we get to Xandar"

"Perhaps the fuzzy puppy should land us for the Nova corps if you wish for a good impression?" Mantis said beaming a smile and a playful look on her face. Drax bellowed with laughter at this, Mantis always knew how to make him laugh, Rocket was less than impressed by the back handed compliment. Quill began storming off but his dramatic exit from the common area was shot dead in the water as a call came in. It was Nova Prime, letting out a big sigh he answered.

"Greetings Star Lord," Nova Prime began. Well that put a smile on his face and patched up his pride, something about that name still gave Peter childish glee. "We eagerly await your arrival and thank you once again for accepting our request."

"Hey as long as we're getting paid" Quill responded, Rocket nodding in earnest agreement.

"Yes... quite. Whilst we have discussed the preliminary aspects of our request I wish to inform you that we have acquired the assistance of someone considered a specialist on this topic who will be travelling with you. I will make the necessary introductions upon your arrival. Forgive me for not mentioning this sooner but it was at their request. They like to maintain a low profile and it was difficult getting them to work with you on this given your preference for more flamboyant solutions" Prime couldn't have worded things more diplomatically if she tried. 

"Since when did we become a transport for randomers? And for the record my team can handle anything, we don't need some outsider. Never have, never will" Peter was back on the defence feeling his authority as Captain was being over looked for the millionth time. 

"This is **not** negotiable. We will be providing some extra compensation for you accommodating them aboard your ship that **can** be negotiated upon your arrival. Safe travels, Star Lord" Okay that time it felt like she was mocking Quill, too much emphasis on those last words and possibly a slight smirk fighting it's way past Nova Primes poker face. The video feed was disconnected. Another exasperated sigh escaped from Peter that pleaded the day be over now. 

"What kind of specialist they bringing on? I am a frickin' cybernetic, don't get more specialist than that!" This had got Rockets mind racing. The mission already had his back up threatening to unearth a past he would much sooner forget. Who was more special than him when it came to this stuff? _Ain't no thing like me, 'cept me_ Rocket thought. 

"As much as I don't like the idea of some stranger on board it's not like we have a choice. The Nova Corps should have carried out back ground checks but we should remain on our guard" Gamora, ever the practical one, stated with a confidence not shown on her face. Peter saw the slight crease between her brows as she said it. She didn't like this anymore than he did. It had been a journey getting to the port, this was tomorrows problem. Right now they needed to rest up. After a minute of small talk they broke off to their own quarters. Convinced Quill must have caused some damage with his parking attempt Rocket headed outside to check things over, Groot in tow behind. Both were blissfully unaware the shadows would be watching them. 

\-----

Sure enough patience paid off, always did for Kai. The _Benatars_ boarding ramp lowered. A few quick taps on the interface grafted into his forearm and his senses were tuned in to pick up Rockets grumblings as he exited the ship. 

_Hmm, He's taller than I expected_ Kai thought.

At least the Guardians were such a diverse group making it easy to identify each one. Working with other life forms wasn't his preference, much less chance of getting stabbed in the back when working alone. Looked like the ship had taken a few hits most likely from blunt impact on their last mission. Rocket was not impressed by this as he was ranting away to Groot wandering around outside the ship. 

_Not perfect cybernetics, I would have done that better_ Kai pondered as he watched Rocket walking about. His movements were smooth and steady as a biped for sure but he seemed to be lilting forwards like he would prefer to be scurrying on all fours. 

Groots attention was elsewhere constantly staring at a hand held device making bleeping sounds, probably a game no doubt, Rocket however suddenly stopped on the spot. His nose lifted up, his whiskers twitching, something wasn't right. Barely a second passed before Kai's interface registered detection. That was sloppy. He was getting mesmerised watching Rocket. Easing back into the shadows and out of sight Kai relaxed his senses back to their standard human qualities. He was hesitating, he should walk away get some rest and continue tomorrow but this urge to have one last look with his human eyes. _NO_ shaking the thought away he pushed off from the wall and walked away from the landing zone. A scowl creased his forehead wondering what that was about. He dismissed the train of thought quickly, no point reading into things, he was simply observing another living example of cybernetics or Synths as he called them. Didn't matter how big the galaxy was they were still rare after all. Yeah, that's all it was. The streets and back alleys were deserted as he snaked his way back to the bars. Good thing too as he was rattled by being off his game, what was in that drink from earlier? He rounded onto the main street. He had secured a room for the night above one of the smaller businesses along the stretch. It wasn't glamorous but it was off the books. Best chance of a quiet night, exactly the way he liked it. Tomorrow he'd make his move. 

\----

A new day began on the space port. Not that time was easy to tell in these places. The hustle of people going about their business did have a tendency to pick up and wane but for the most part life continued in perpetual motion. Kai got up feeling rested, of course that was only his Terran side, but before going anywhere he wanted to run a quick scan of his cybernetics. The bitterness was still there in the pit of his stomach. Sure it was a drop in the ocean compared to when they were new but that nagging voice would still occasionally taunt him with words like half-breed. Everything checked out. Kai reached for his interface. It was a relatively small screen that connected to his internal wiring attachable to either forearm. Ugly ports embedded in his skin connected the interface enabling him to manually change his augments. The result of experiments that left him lost in a universe where he no longer felt he had a place. Holding the screen in his hands he sat back down on the bed. Was it really worth spying on the Guardians? Patience was his mantra and it served him well but right now it felt like the fire that fed his cautious behaviour was out. He was wasting time, he slapped the screen into place barely noticing the sting as it came to life. Pulling on a heavy coat and grabbing his bag he set off towards the landing terminals.

\-----

Rocket was busy at work with goggles protecting his eyes as he fixed up the minor scrapes and dents to the hull of the _Benatar_. He casually turned off his equipment and pulled his goggles down around his neck. He took a few steps back to the make shift work station behind him. Without another moments hesitation he grabbed hold of the rifle on the second shelf spun round and aimed.

'Hope you got a good look pal cos it's the last thing you're gonna see!' His hand squeezed the trigger sending a blue flash right toward the guy Rocket had been aware of for the last fifteen minutes. Sure it wasn't a friendly greeting but the guy had some nerve spying on him and doing such a bad job of it too. To Rockets surprise the guy didn't flinch or move an inch as the bolt flew past him. It was close enough he would have felt the heat but he was steady as a rock. Rocket couldn't help but be impressed, this guy had balls.

'You should try aiming at me next time, I hear it's more effective' Kai replied matter of factly. As the words left his lips another blue flash erupted from the rifle. This time he moved fast to the side as that one was gonna blow a hole in his chest. He noticed movement from the ships entry ramp. Others were coming. He took cover and listened.

'What are you playing at Rocket?! You're supposed to be fixing the ship not blowing holes in it!' Kai's interface popped up with Peter Quills face matching it to the voice he heard.

'Some creep has been snooping around, they were watching last night too!' Rocket growled in response. They began to bicker between themselves much to Kai's annoyance. He quite fancied testing their skills in battle before making introductions but clearly this group of misfits were dysfunctional to the core. How they had made it this far without being killed was a mystery. Kai kept his Cybernetics juiced up as he stood and made his way towards them, just in case anymore pot shots got fired his way.

'Excuse me? If you two are done arguing I think some introductions are in order.' Kai confidently strode up to the two Guardians. 'You must be Peter Quill and you...' He faltered looking at Rocket. Did he refer to him as 89P13? Was that an insult? Maybe Rocket was too informal? Why did he even care? Rocket was looking straight back at him with a curious expression but importantly the gun that looked too big for him to wield was now pointed at the floor not Kai's face. 

'Call me Rocket' He said. Kai was getting distracted again as they locked eyes. His mouth moved to start saying something but he was cut off.

'Actually most people call me Star Lord these days' Peter said with a cocky smile, Kai cringed at his immaturity but as Peter stepped forward offering his hand it broke Kai's eyeline with Rocket at least. The tension eased. Strange to think this kind of exchange didn't cause a fuss around this port. It certainly wasn't the seediest port but firing a few shots still didn't really draw any ones attention. Kai reluctantly shook the hand offered to him.

'So how can we be of service Mr....?' Quill asked.

'You can call me Kai and actually I'm here to provide my services to you. I have been hired by Nova Prime to support your next assignment. I was meant to rendezvous with you on Xandar but as your perceptive friend suggested I decided to take some time and carry out research on you and your team first.' 

'Well don't quit the day job humie, your sneakin skills ain't exactly what I'd call professional.' Rocket turned as he said this maintaining a nonchalant persona. But as Quill made excuses for Rocket's rudeness and lead Kai onto the ship he couldn't help watching him out the corner of his eye until he was out of sight. The Guy seemed normal to Rocket except the way he reacted to being shot at. The movement was unnatural. Rocket concluded he must be covering up his cybernetics the same way the flight suit covered Rockets. Guess they had a few things in common so far. 

\----- 

Quill introduced their temporary member to the whole crew. Mantis was the only one who seemed genuinely pleased to meet him. She had a young energy to her like she had lived a sheltered life. The rest showed the passive aggression of distrust. Not that this bothered him much. There were of course some ground rules laid out by the captain. The first of which really baffled their new guest. Music. Terran music. Apparently the almighty Star Lord will play it loudly to gather a ship meeting when people are in their quarters and generally play it any other time it suited him too and if that was a problem he could feel free to leave the ship without a space suit at anytime. Eager to interact with him Mantis hurried to put some on. Memories that Kai wasn't sure were his or implanted stirred in his mind. It was soothing. It must have shown on his face as Quill made some remark about knowing another Terran would be on board with the concept. The rule was dumb and reinforced Kai's disbelief that this guy was leader to a group that protected the galaxy but never the less the music was a nice touch. The other rules were more mundane and practical; all communications into and off the ship would be tracked and when they were in transit everyone would take turns on look out while the rest got some sleep or down time. As much as he didn't like his communications being tracked he couldn't argue. If the roles were reversed he would do the same thing. Peter showed him down to the lower levels where their quarters were, it was nothing fancy but this ship had everything to be comfortable. His room was, by common standards, generous in it's size and had an actual double bed. No doubt this was a result of Quill being captain since it was so... human. He had seen the common areas on his way to meet the crew, been shown the flight deck and Quill pointed out where the showers and storage areas were. Kai got a twinge of excitement at the prospect of a hot shower, it was the small things in life. He was free to explore the ship for the time being they would be leaving very soon since Rocket was satisfied with the repairs. 

The second Peter was out of sight he dropped his bag. His priorities had shifted and he needed to act now. It was time to hit the showers and hit them hard! A grin spread across Kai's face and, after checking no one was around, practically skipped down the corridor. Maybe he was going to enjoy this assignment after all. 

\-----

Wandering about the ship with his muscles warm and relaxed, a towel wrapped around his neck to stop his wet hair dripping all over his clothes, Kai stumbled across a very focused furry synth. It was a small workshop of sorts off of a corridor. He paused in the doorway watching for a moment.

'You got a real problem staring at me pal, didn't work out for you so well last time.' Rocket was abrasive as always. But Kai could tell it wasn't just arrogance he could back up threats and was not someone he intended to intentionally piss off.

'I think we got off on the wrong foot, what you working on? It looks cool' Kai could see how his dexterous paws were piecing together different components. It had taken Kai years to understand his own cybernetics and a lot longer to master the tech. He would still tweak aspects in his down time. What Rocket was doing though was something else. He was a genius. Rocket turned to Kai, scanning his face for sarcasm. He still struggled with social cues sometimes. It would be kinda nice to show off his latest toys but this guy put him on edge. He was probably gonna end up laughing at Rocket and making jokes like everyone else. 

'I make things that go boom. That is to say generally my creations make larger things into lots of smaller things' He couldn't help his pride. He kept his focus on his work as he spoke. He could hear foot steps coming closer to the work bench. Kai leaned over Rockets shoulder to take a closer look. On a normal day any stranger getting this close would have a bite taken out of them but instead feeling the heat coming off his body made Rockets fur stand on end. It was like nothing he had felt before. It was something like fear and excitement crashing together sending static all over his body and all the oxygen had inconveniently left the room. 

'May I?' Kai asked gesturing to pick up the device. Rocket just about managed to nod. As Kai picked up the device carefully, raising it up to get a better look, the artificial lighting caught his eyes and Rocket was caught off guard again. His eyes were beautiful, stunning, mesmerizing... _Frickin hell will you pull yourself together?!_ Rocket snapped back to reality. Kai noticed him staring. 

'Huh guess the tables have turned. My eyes can be a bit off putting I guess. Normally I don't use my cybernetics up close' Kai was referring to his eyes. They were enhanced by microscopic tech at will but when it was active his irises had a metallic lattice woven into his natural eye colour. He was used to it drawing unwanted attention and ridicule - _whoa you some kinda freak?_ Rocket wanted to blurt out Kai was mistaken but choked the impulse before it got anywhere. 'Now when you say "larger things into smaller things" if I'm seeing this for what it is this would break a **very** large thing. Not gonna lie I would love to chuck this at a moon or something.' A devilish grin played across his face as Kai set the stupidly powerful explosive device down carefully. Rocket barked a brief laugh at that last comment.

'Now here's a guy that gets it! Try mentioning that to the others. Bunch of jackasses wanna suck the joy out of everything.' Kai found the way Rocket said the last part cute but you know in a bit of psychotic way. He seemed genuinely a bit depressed that his crew didn't condone blowing up natural satellites for fun. Kai couldn't help but think they were gonna get on fine despite first impressions. 

'So how'd you learn to make this stuff? You're still in one piece so I guess it wasn't a case of trial and error' Kai ruffled his wet hair with the towel as he spoke. Before Rocket got a chance to reply the communication device in Kai's pocket went off. 'Ahh sorry I have to get this.'

'Why? Is it your mommy making sure you packed enough clean underwear?' Kai flipped Rocket off in response to his taunts, wandering down the corridor and back to his room to take the call. _Quill did warn him that comms would be monitored_ thought Rocket. Sure he had morals but there were a million reasons to listen in on the call and not a single reason he would acknowledge not too. Hopping down off the work stool he scurried over to the access panel for the intercom next to the doorway. A few moments later and viola, he could hear everything.

 **Kai** \- ...are decent enough. You wanna know more it's gonna cost you and the info won't be up for trading till I'm finished here anyway. Not dumb enough to put myself at risk. You know me better than that.

 **Unknown** \- Yeah, yeah I got no interest in that group of weirdos anyway.

 **Kai** \- That's cos you got no taste in people.

 **Unknown** \- Explains why I'm talking to you at least. It almost sounds like you like 'em.

 **Kai** \- Right now most of them are giving me the cold shoulder like I'm some sort of spy. But tell you what that Rocket guy? He's a freakin genius. I'd heard the rumours but man you should see him work.

_Rocket grinned and could feel his face getting hot under his fur, sure he felt a bit bad listening in but this was totally worth it_

**Unknown** \- Rocket? That creepy little beast? Man if I was close enough to see him work I'd be close enough to smell the animal. (laughing). Hard pass on that front my man!

 _Ouch, that hurt. Rocket did lift an arm and sniff though and couldn't argue_

**Kai** \- ...(silence)

 **Unknown** \- You still there?

 **Kai** \- I'm gonna say this real slow so you can keep up. The only stinking creep I've had to deal with lately is you. Now get to what you want I've got more important things to be doing.

 **Unknown** \- Yikes someone's a bit sensitive. Want you to look at some parts. Few need fixing. Paying the usual flat rate plus 10% when the gear shifts.

 **Kai** \- Not interested. 

**Unknown** \- C'mon man how about 15...

_Disconnect_

Rocket reset the intercom and stepped back lost in thought. Kai was being nice about him. Not just to his face but behind his back too. Yondu was right, a single drop of kindness really made him realise how empty he was. It was such a different feeling to what he had been conditioned to it felt like that drop was enough to drown him. All his motivation to tinker with parts had left him. Rocket wandered back to his quarters, tail sagging all the way. The strip lighting had been switched to hibernate in the corridors which mean it was time to sleep anyway. He guessed Quill wanted some more time to relax before making the jump to Xandar. Right now he only wanted to sleep. He had been working hard all day fixing the ship and he didn't have the physical energy left to think about feelings _Urgh_. He pushed the thoughts away. He'd wake up in the morning with that crap back in it's triple locked vault where it belonged. "You can fool yourself and everyone else, but you can't fool me!"  
'Alright ya frickin' blue jerk' Rocket was talking to the memory of Quills real father. Not long before his passing he challenged Rocket to start caring. In his defence it was on his to do list. He had simply lost the list somewhere that was all. Joking aside Rocket knew time had run out though, it was time to confront his demons. Hell he was starting wonder if that blue idiot had sent Kai here himself. Rocket sighed and suddenly missed the days Him and Groot spent hunting bounties like honest criminals. Simpler times. Simpler worries.

Kai wandered back to the work station but found it deserted. It definitely wasn't smart to touch anything in there alone. He had heard about the Darwin awards on earth and was sure that touching devices, unsupervised, made by the Raccoon would land him right at the top of the podium for that years ceremony. It was disappointing but he'd have to head back to his room for now. The day had flashed by but when he thought of all that had happened it was enough to make him yawn. Giving his hair one last wipe with the towel and pulling off the interface from his forearm he face planted on the bed. It was so damn comfy. _Yup, I could definitely get used to this._ The thought had barely left his mind before his cybernetics sensed rest and gave him a firm nudge into unconsciousness. 

\-----


	2. It's Personal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team arrive on Xandar and receive full details of their assignment. Shadows of the past seem to be driving them towards the future.

Music echoed throughout the ship, another cheery feel good vibe. Kai awoke to the sound and immediately his senses went wild. The unfamiliar surroundings and the unnatural sleep made him confused. The momentary fear was enough that his augments were begging to burst to life but seeing his room he remembered. His heart was pounding and he was breathing hard as if breaking out of a nightmare but he focused his mind to try and calm the synth side of himself. The easy way out would be to attach his interface and override the systems but he couldn't allow himself to become complacent. His cybernetics could be controlled by his own mind, it had to be that way in case the external control got damaged and in his world that was an ever present danger. Deep, slow breaths brought him around and like meditation he extended his mind to feel throughout his body. _I am safe, i am relaxed_ he repeated the mantra in his head. Such a contrast to the relaxing end to the day before, this one was off to a great start. The music turned up a little louder. This was Peters way of gathering the crew. He could use the comms but where was the fun in that right? Swinging his legs off the bed Kai got himself together and followed the pleasant smell of breakfast.

'Morning sunshine!' Quill flashed a smile as Kai entered the common area. 'Made some home classics hope you like it' There was a stack of pancakes and an assortment of other earth style breakfast food on the table. Quill wasn't happy about having a stranger onboard until he realised they were from earth. The guy was ecstatic to have an excuse to pull out all the stops. On a normal day Kai would have ripped someone's head off for calling him sunshine, especially first thing in the morning, but seeing the food he didn't care. Kai sat down and helped himself not saying anything which hurt Peters feelings a bit. I mean he could of at least said thank you. Mantis could feel an awkwardness in the air and did her usual of lightening the mood with small talk. Last to arrive was Rocket. He slunk into the room without his usual bravado and sat next to Gamora who was eyeing him suspiciously. 

'Rocket... are you... clean?' Gamora said loud enough for everyone to hear. The silence was deafening. 

'Jeez man I didn't know it was your birthday already!' Peter added as everyone began making jibes. Rocket told them to shut their mouths and kept his face focused intently on his food. Kai adjusted his senses briefly and it was true, he could smell detergent with light scenting overlaying Rockets natural smell now devoid of sweat and oil like it was the day before. There was nothing wrong with smelling like sweat and oil in Kai's opinion but he had to admit the clean look made Rocket even more handsome. Kai pulled his focus back to the food, reeling from the fact he just admitted Rocket was good looking. Drax was saying how the woodland creatures on his planet would be presented garnished with citrus fruits at feasts making Rocket blow his top. Standing up on the bench he launched his fork at the muscular guy who batted it away with roaring laughter. Even Groot was entertained enough to forget about his game for a minute. Peter took control of the situation as best as he could.

'Okay that's enough! Just wanted a nice breakfast guys jeez. Rocket when you finish here you're up front with me for the jump to Xandar. I don't wanna see or hear any of this when we land. It's one of the few places in this galaxy where they kinda like us still so cut the crap alright?' With that Peter went up to the flight deck. Noticing Mantis collecting plates Kai thought he would give her a hand. As they cleaned only Rocket was left at the table looking a bit deflated and not touching what was left of his food. Kai walked up. 

'Hey you finished with that? It's not gonna eat itself' Rocket didn't look up as Kai spoke. He felt ridiculous.

'Yeah I'm done' Rocket slid off the bench and headed to the stairs to join Quill. 

'Your fur looks good by the way' Yep Kai actually said that, out loud. But what the hell, it was true. In his opinion at least. But was he meant to say that kinda stuff out loud? Apparently his verbal filter was completely broken at this stage as he continued 'Y'know not that there was anything wrong with it before but...' _Kill. Me. Now._ If the floor was ever going to open up and swallow him, Kai wanted it to be now. 

'I'll try to keep that in mind' Rocket barely turned his head to say it but even so Kai noticed a smile on his face before he turned back to the stairs and headed up to help bring the ship into Xandar. Kai was light as a feather. He turned back to cleaning up breakfast when...

'Whoa! Mantis?! What the hell are you doing?' Scared the crap out of him. Mantis was inches from his face as he turned around.

'I am smiling. It is to express that I am happy' Mantis was like a rainbow in a can.

'Of course you are...' Kai patted Mantis on the shoulder with a bewildered expression on his face. That girl wasn't right but at least she was friendly. Kai decided to leave her to clean up simply to avoid any further awkwardness. Besides he needed to get ready before they reached the surface. Mantis watched him go wondering what she had done wrong this time. Humans were such a confusing species. 

\----- 

Xandar stretched out before them like a paradise. On the surface that's exactly the image it projected but like all places it still had it's share of trouble. It was simply civilised enough to keep it hidden. In all fairness it was much tamer than the various space ports and mining platforms strewn throughout the galaxy. The group exited the ship and Kai inhaled deeply. The air was so clean here, nothing like the artificial crap he was used to hopping from one place to another aboard ships and lying low in often grimy establishments that knew how to keep his presence quiet. 

They were greeted by a small guard of Nova Corps that led them to the strategy room. Irani Rael, Nova's Prime, was waiting for them. She was always well presented and had a softness to her smile that welcomed the Guardians. Kai wasn't fooled by this though, she might have good manners and decorum but behind it this woman has a soul of steel. It was one of the main reasons he took on her request. Here stood a woman that demanded respect and when she asked for help Kai couldn't refuse it. He might not be an angel but he would always do what was right, no matter how reluctant his demeanour. 

'Welcome. Forgive me but I have a lot to deal with currently. Naturally if the Nova Corps were not busy I wouldn't have brought you all here today. So let us do away with formalities and get down to it. Shall we?'

'Fine by me. I'm still not sure about why we're even here' Quill said getting a slap on the arm from Gamora for his bluntness.

'What our Captain is trying to say is that we are happy to help in any way that we can' Gamora corrected him. 

'And what the green chick is tryin to say is we'll do anything for a decent pay day' There was only ever one thing on this over grown Raccoons mind. If looks could kill Gamora and Quill would be arrested for murder at that moment. Before things got any further Kai stepped in.

'I believe you were short on time Ma'am. Please proceed.' Rocket cocked his head at the military attitude Kai was adopting. His face was stone and he was standing tall, almost to attention. With a curt nod of appreciation Irani began.

'Throughout the Nova Empire we have been receiving reports relating to cybernetic experimentation' Kai and Rocket perked up at this. They knew they were being involved in this mission for a reason but experimentation within Nova territory was unheard of. It was barbaric as far as their society was concerned. This was painfully obvious whenever Kai's augments showed through his clothing. It raised an eye brow at the very least on this planet. She turned to the large holo display in the center of the room and continued. 'At first it was a string of what appeared to be random crimes until a pattern emerged. Someone is collecting information and resources. Now within the parameters of our laws this isn't illegal with the correct permits. This character how ever seems to have heavily augmented creatures at their disposal and is using them to take what they need. According to a few of the victims the information this madman is after relates to experimentation. Blacklisted records from gruesome studies carried out on the subject of augmenting living things. Our information has directed us to places where the Nova Corps are not welcome and would draw too much attention anyway. That is where you come in. Guardians I request you track this individual and find out exactly what they have planned. There is a chance they are not working alone or indeed are working for another group. To put this simply I want you to root out this problem once and for all and make an example of them.' Experimentation. Studies on augmenting live species. The blood in Rockets veins ran cold. He was smart so he knew it was coming but this felt so personal now it was out in the open. Kai was shaking ever so slightly. It was easily missed. His blood wasn't cold, it was burning. He was oddly territorial and the fact some low life was sneaking around in the back alleys of his part of the galaxy gathering information about the very thing he had dedicated his life to was infuriating. Nova Prime had been rounding off her presentation as Kai brought his temper under control, forcing his hands to release the tight fists that were ready to crush this unknown fool. 

'This has everything we have collected so far and should give you all you need to pick up their trail. Of course we are here should you require anything further' The Prime handed over the data file to Quill who reminded her of the compensation for bringing Kai along with them. A fair price was agreed and the group began heading back to the ship. 

'Before you leave I would like a few words with you please' She was addressing Kai. 

'I'll meet you back at the ship' Kai said. Looking curious but knowing their place the Guardians left the room. As the door closed Kai spoke again 'You should have told me sooner.'

'We couldn't. Not until we were sure. Shadow we know you have dealt with this in the past but this is different. We purged this from our Empire once but I didn't want to drag you back into the nightmare' Her voice was soft again. How could a woman with such weight on her shoulders have time for compassion? Although Kai didn't officially have a nation or place to call home he would follow this woman into the deepest circle of hell without a second thought.

'You saved me from that nightmare. They made me what I am but you made me who I am. I haven't forgotten that.' Kai had the slightest mist forming in his eyes. This woman was the closest thing he had to a parent. She saved him, kept him safe in the shadows and trained him as an agent. That's how he earned his name Shadow. 'Thank you for keeping my Identity quiet. It's actually kinda nice to be Kai for a change.'

'You've told them your name? Well I guess that's easier for them to accept you I would suppose. I know they're an odd bunch but try to enjoy the time you spend with the Guardians. They might be able to help you more than I ever did.' She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. 

'I'll try' Kai promised. With that he turned and walked out. He began towards the _Benatar_ but hesitated. He needed to clear his head before going back there. It was going to take time for Quill and Gamora to go through all the data and figure out a plan anyway so he didn't need to rush back. He headed out into the city instead.

\-----

The light was gradually beginning to dim in the city. Kai was slowly strolling along an over pass that had great views of the open square with the iconic Xandarian fountains that added to the beauty of the city. As he looked ahead a familiar figure caught his eye. He wandered over scuffing his foot as he got near so he didn't make Rocket jump. He was sitting with his legs over the railing, tail trailing down behind him. He looked deflated.

'Hey.' Kai rested his forearms on the railing next to him. Rocket turned and the last rays of the planets host stars lit up his golden eyes. They looked sad.

'Sup' He replied.

'How come you're out here? Thought you went back to the ship with the others.' Kai had pulled up his sleeves and as he leaned on the railing Rocket saw for the first time the metal embedded in Kai's skin. Normally Rocket wouldn't talk about this stuff to anyone. Well maybe Groot but that was different. Seeing the circular little plug sockets on the underside of Kai's forearm and the long silver plate that ran almost the full length of the other side made him realise he could maybe talk to him. _But he did this to himself, he chose this. He's not like you_ Rocket thought. 

'You wouldn't understand Humie. You might like your shiny upgrades but I didn't choose to be made' Rockets words hurt. Kai had forgotten the official data file from the Nova Corps stated that Kai augmented himself. It was a lie. He had changed his augments over the years sure and what he was today was nothing like the broken soul that had been picked up by the Corps but he never wanted this. 

'So you read my data file then.' Rocket nodded. 'You don't have to believe me but it's not true. I've made improvements over the years but no one would choose to do this to themselves. Deep down you know that.' Relief flooded through Rocket at Kai's admission followed by guilt. He had been mad at Kai. They were getting along before but Rocket would never forgive the scum that created him and couldn't be friends with someone that chose to mutilate themself either. He knew Kai was telling the truth. 

'If you tell anyone I said sorry to you I'll strap you to a giant magnet understand?' Kai laughed at Rockets imaginative threat.

'But you haven't even apologised yet' That smile was so disarming.

'Sorry okay?' Damn, Rocket actually meant it as well.

'It's fine. So... why **are** you out here?' Kai looped back. He wanted Rocket to open up. It wasn't like every day he had a chance to talk about this stuff and he was pretty sure they were going through the same thing. Reluctantly Rocket obliged.

'I was made by the same type of whacko we're huntin down. I escaped that hell hole and turned my back on it. I'm just...' Rocket trailed off.

'Scared.' Kai could see he was about to protest. He was such a tough guy. Kai cut him off before he could say anything. 'It's okay. Really Rocket your secret is safe with me. I'm not exactly looking forward to it either. I didn't walk away from that life exactly but it's not like I love it.'

'Oh so you can call me scared but you're too macho for that? I'm not buying it!' 

'Fine, fine. Yeah I'm scared. To this day I still have nightmares okay? You happy?' It was only fair Kai meet him half way. 'But look at it this way, at least you don't have to go it alone. That's why Irani... I mean Nova Prime brought me in on this.' 

'Ha! You think I need someone to hold my hand?' There it was again, the tough guy act but Rockets heart wasn't in it and the words were hollow. Kai looked at Rockets hand on the railing next to his. _What have you got to lose?_ Kai thought. It was crazy such a small thing felt like a Herculean task but it took all Kai's will power reaching out to take Rockets hand. Just before their hands touched Kai's cybernetics flared to life. In a fraction of a second his arms reached around Rockets torso as his feet pushed off from the railing with explosive force, launching the two of them off the walkway and onto the flagstones of the square below. With barely a moment to spare the spot on the walkway they had been on shattered into debris. The force of the explosion rippled through the air almost throwing Kai off balance but managed to right himself before he hit the floor, Rocket safe in his grip. They ducked for cover as their assailant began tearing up the floor where they landed with a pair high powered energy pistols. Neither of them had brought weapons but luckily Kai was a weapon. Flexing his arms and balling up his fists the plates on his forearms burst forward into curved blades.

'Stay here, I'll handle this' Kai stepped out from the cover. Bolts of energy ripped past him. Each movement calculated and precise enough to avoid the deathly rays. He could see a large Hurctarian laughing as he fired away. At his side were two Aakons with electroshock batons at the ready. Kai moved forward charging the big guy in the middle. 

'Screw this!' Rocket growled. He wasn't going to sit and hide like some god damned princess! He clambered over the wall and ran to the side. The group of lowlifes were so focused on Kai they didn't even notice him. _That's the last mistake you'll make_ Rocket thought. Kai was on top of them now, the laughter had stopped and was replaced by fear. This guy was like smoke the shots went through him. Kai brought his blades down in a smooth arc cleaving the pistols in half with one clean motion before using the Hurctarian's chest as spring board, flipping back and away from him. As the Aakons descended on Kai an angry ball of fur came flying from the side. Rocket landed on one of their shoulders and started pounding the guy's head senseless shouting something about beating their frickin face in. The distraction made it all too easy for Kai to overwhelm the other one, disarming and launching him into the Hurctarian that was getting back on his feet. They hit with an audible crunch. Rocket had wrestled the poor guy to the ground and was still beating his face. Kai cleared his throat loudly as his blades retracted back to smooth plates embedded in his skin. Rocket turned at the sound still pumped and angry.

'I think he's done man' Kai said with his hands held up in a placating gesture. After one last hit Rocket let go of the guys shirt and he flopped to the floor. As they glanced up the Nova Corps had arrived, disabling the three goons. The small ship announced that both Rocket and Kai should report to the Nova HQ immediately. Rocket cursed and grumbled as he started walking back. To be fair their ship was docked at the HQ anyway so it wasn't a problem really. Rocket just assumed he would be in trouble. Guy couldn't catch a break on this planet. Kai laughed and went to put his arm round Rockets shoulders and give him a squeeze, Rocket was having none of it though and batted his hand away. This made Kai laugh harder. He was genuinely impressed at how Rocket handled himself. He might only be about two thirds the size of Kai but he was just as fierce. He was a warrior and Kai couldn't help but be drawn in all the more for it.

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted this a few hours early as I'm quite far ahead of schedule. Hope you enjoy :3


	3. Out of Knowhere

'I'm sorry but this is the only way we can proceed given the circumstances.' The snot nosed paper pusher at Nova Corps Head Quarters said to Kai and Rocket. His prejudice towards their type was clear. He made a point of glaring at the augments showing below Kai's sleeves. Humiliated and angry he pulled his sleeves down and slowly turned away. Rocket continued to give the guy a piece of his mind. The three assailants had been identified as bounty hunters. They were amateurs at best with more arrests than successes. Despite the fact Rocket and Kai were victims it had been concluded by the peace keepers of the planet that both of them must wear a tracking device when roaming the city from now on. It was sold as a safety precaution to protect them but it was obvious they didn't trust any life form sporting cybernetic enhancements. 

'I saved this damn place and this is the thanks I get? Screw you guys! Don't come crying to us next time you need savin! Hell at this rate it might be me you need saving from! Damn ingrates.' Rocket caught up with Kai after hurling his last protests on deaf ears. 'Hey wait up, you got nothing to say to these guys or what? Didn't take you for the quiet accepting type. Hey I'm talking to you!' Rocket grabbed his arm and forced him to turn and look at him. 

'Of course I've got shit I wanna say to them but what's the point?! I've spent my whole life surrounded by this bullshit. I wanna rip them apart and they know I could too! But that just proves them right doesn't it? Synths are dangerous and need to be kicked down and treated like second class citizens because what? We're different? We don't look like them? Because it's not "natural" to be this way?' Kai was letting his rage out, barely keeping his voice below max, right up in Rockets face. He expected shock or fear or something like it. He was the Nova Corps feared Project Shadow, he had brought down entire cells of criminals and Rocket knew that now he'd read Kai's data files. But instead the face inches from his had a mischievous smile, the eyes were slightly dilated. Kai was thrown off his train of thought. In response Rocket didn't say a word. Instead he reached up and pulled Kai into him, stretched up on his tip toes, and kissed him. Their lips met and the rest of the world fell away. Rocket had no clue what he was doing but this felt so right, he never felt so alive. Kai stepped back stunned. 

'Was it not... good?' Rocket scratched the back of his neck looking away.

'No.' Kai stepped towards Rocket but he avoided him. 'No I mean it was, well, kinda perfect. But why?' Kai was terrified he was ruining this. He'd never kissed someone before, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind, he was shocked by it. He wasn't used to being taken by surprise.

'Because you get it. Everything you said. You just get it man. It's not like I meant to do that it just happened.' As Rocket finished speaking Kai realised his rant could have been about either of them. He was such an idiot. Crouching down slowly he wrapped his arms around Rocket. There was no resistance, Rocket leaned into Kai and accepted the gentle bear hug. He felt safe breathing in Kai's scent, nuzzling into his shoulder. Kai's troubles melted away as his hands buried themselves in Rockets fur. He didn't know how long they stayed like that, it felt like hours but in reality it was probably a matter of seconds before hurried footsteps started echoing round the corner. Sadly the rest of the world came crashing back into focus and they let go, flooded with self consciousness. Rocket was lucky. His face might have been as red as Kai's but it was safely hidden beneath his fur.

'There you guys are! We came as soon as we heard.' Peter seemed a bit out of breath, Gamora on his heels. Kai scrambled to his feet feeling awkward. 'Is everything alright?' Peter gave a quizzical look at the pair that had adopted the persona of school boys at their first dance. 

'We're fine Star-Munch.' Rocket managed to say with some conviction.

'Dude what is your problem? We're here to help.' Peter wasn't surprised. He'd be more worried that they were in big trouble if he didn't get some form of unwarranted aggression from the angry fuzz ball. Kai filled Gamora in on what had gone down with the thugs and the imposed restrictions on himself and Rocket if they wanted to explore the city in the future. This concerned Gamora as well. Whilst her reputation afforded her some immunity she had implants as well and didn't like the idea of being tracked. They decided there was no point raising the issue right now. They had an idea of where to start their search and wanted to get everyone up to speed back on board the _Benatar_. 

\-----

The whole team gathered around the table. Gamora gave a quick run through of the various crimes the Nova Corps had pieced together. Data bases, research journals, base materials commonly used for augmentation and a failed heist of cutting edge surgical robotics from a medical center on Xandar itself. By triangulating where the crimes had taken place they had a good idea of what quadrant of the galaxy they were using as a base but it wasn't like they could go straight there flying aimlessly hoping to stumble across a psycho in a galactic haystack. They chose to focus on the failed heist. The equipment that was targeted performed advanced and often invasive surgery to a degree of precision that would be perfect for high end augmentation were such practices not prohibited within the Nova empire. The only place where you might be able to get a hold of something like that would be somewhere shady. They weren't talking about a small space port that welcomes low lives and degenerates, they were talking about a huge place that was made for illegal activities. They were going to Knowhere. Being a huge space mine accidents were common so medical trades were common. Combine this with the vast wealth that was acquired by dangerous individuals and it had become a pit of excellence for immoral surgery both for the rich and powerful to acquire upgrades and for the depraved to practice their craft. With their previous connections with a man known as the Collector they would be able to find the information they were after. They just hoped the crime lord wasn't in league with their target. That would make for a very uncomfortable experience for all involved. The Tivan group, that the Collector is head of, contribute massively to organised crime all around. It was a fifty fifty chance he was in on it but this didn't feel like his sort of game. 

With their heading decided they dispersed. Drax going to sharpen something deadly with Mantis following like a lost puppy, Gamora and Quill to the flight deck and Groot shuffling off to his room to practice being a moody teen. As Kai looked about though he didn't see where Rocket had gone. They hadn't looked at one another throughout the mission briefing. It seemed to Kai they had gone from stranger to something uncomfortably close in no time at all. It didn't exactly feel wrong but his social skills were limited. He didn't like being around other people much, so to be suddenly put in the spotlight with another person was a lot to take in. As cowardly as it seemed he wanted to go to his room and stay out of the way. He convinced himself this was the best course of action right now. Burying your head in the sand to avoid confronting things was always the best approach right? _No but it is the easy option_ he thought. 

He reached his quarters, head hanging low, shoulders slumped and pressed open on the access screen. As he looked up his heart dropped. Without knowing it he was subconsciously hoping there would be a handsome guy sitting on the bed waiting for him. He remembered the feeling of the thick soft fur in his hands. It was a dumb hope. He knew he could turn around and go and find Rocket, hell the ship wasn't that big, but instead he gave into his need to procrastinate and slumped onto the bed instead. Switching out the lights in the room he replayed the scene with Rocket over and over in his head until he drifted off to sleep. 

\-----

'Yo Drax? I know we had fun last time we were here but let's try not to get everyone dead this time, you feel me?' Rocket called over his shoulder as he brought the ship into Knowhere.

'I would neither like to feel you or get everyone dead. I have come to respect and enjoy the presence of each and every one of you. It would sadden me greatly to witness your deaths. Especially Quill, he would would most likely cry like an infant.' Drax at his finest. It never took much encouragement from Rocket to get a free side swipe at Quill from the red giant.

'Aww come on man, I wouldn't... I'm not...' Gamora tried to hide her smile as she patted Quill on the shoulder.

Once they had landed, incredibly smoothly thanks to the skilled piloting of one Rocket Raccoon, it was agreed that this was no place for Groot or Mantis. The mental energy alone it took to think of the precautions they would have to take to keep them out of trouble was exhausting, so it was unanimously decided they should stay and "guard" the ship. The rest geared up and were heading to a bar. They had been there before as it was the only place the Collector would send his assistant to meet with them. Drax was elated to bet on the Orloni fights again. Quill and Gamora were reminiscing about music or something but Kai didn't need to listen to that gooey stuff. He had his own emotions to worry about. Rocket was still avoiding him. With the potential for fun at the bar though Rocket was not going to miss out. He could see Kai heading over and cursed himself for looking back. 

'Hey so what's this place like then?' It was a weak conversation starter but Kai didn't know what else to say. At least the way Rocket was acting confirmed he was right about being avoided. He didn't know why though. Plenty of reasons sprung to mind but they were both so out of their depth right now Kai had no idea what it would be. 

'You never been to a bar or something?' Rocket knew he was pushing him away and he didn't need to be like this. But damn his brain was pushing the self destruct button again. Kai pulled back. Of course he had been to bars. If anything he had been drinking his problems away the last few years. It was much easier than dealing with them. Rocket noticed him drop back and felt a pang of guilt. It suddenly occurred to the raccoon that Kai had saved his life back on Xandar. He was so mad and caught up in everything that happened afterwards it slipped his mind completely. Flash back memories of arms wrapping round him and being vaulted away from the explosion entered his head. 'Hey maybe I could buy you a drink? You did save my tail on Xandar.' That sparked some life in Kai, the idiot was grinning ear to ear. 

\-----

The raucous laughter of Drax echoed throughout the establishment as he drank and gambled. Rocket, true to his word, got drinks for himself and Kai. Any chance of talk was ruined by the antics going on around the gambling table. Rocket was losing his bets, which only added to Drax's enjoyment. Kai felt at home here. It was a bit more lively than he would normally go for but seeing the Guardians letting loose and having fun was all the encouragement he needed to relax. Rocket was downing the last of his drink to soften the blow of yet another loss. His spirits were still high but he kept looking round as if Kai might vanish at any given moment. He tried to explain the rules to Kai but Drax butted in that maybe a winner should divulge such information instead. Trying to console him, despite laughing at the same time, Kai put an arm round Rocket. Suddenly every eye in the joint was staring at Rocket. Judging him. The air was thinning out and someone had cranked the heat up. In truth none of this was happening except in his head. Kai felt Rocket tense up and brought his arm back to his side. Noticing Rocket was still without a drink he leaned over and said.

'How about we get a drink upstairs? It's a bit quieter' Rocket nodded and slipped off the stool. Downing what was left of his, Kai followed, he was gonna need all the liquid courage he could get. Rocket on the other hand was swaying ever so slightly going up the stairs. He had been keeping pace with Drax of all people for the last hour or so. As big as his personality is there's only four foot of him to soak up the drinks. They found a quiet spot and sat. Opposite them on the balcony they could see Gamora and Quill smiling, dancing, being in love. 

'They make it look easy don't they?' Rocket said. He was quite drunk and couldn't filter his thoughts anymore. They wanted to fall straight out of his mouth. Kai knew exactly what he was talking about. 'So you ever thought about that romantical stuff?'

'Me? Never. I mean I've been a bit preoccupied with other things.' Kai took a big gulp of the blue liquid. This was his idea and he was bottling it.

'Me either. I mean look at me, I'm lucky I got friends never mind that other stuff.' It was taking a moment or two for Rocket's brain to catch up but something snagged in his head that he wanted to ask about. _What was it? Oh yeah!_ 'So mister mysterious shadowy person who lied to the good and honourable Nova Corps how'd you end up like that then? What you been so preoccupied with that you haven't put that body to good use huh?' Kai's cheeks got hot.

'Just staying alive I guess.' He deflected.

'Nah nah nah. Don't avoid it. Seriously I wanna know. One messed up individual to another.' He might be drunk but there was conviction in Rockets voice. Kai gave a brief laugh at that last part.

'Guess we are kinda messed up. Alright you really wanna know I'll tell you. About ten years ago I was picked up by the Nova Corps that were stamping out certain "injustices" throughout their empire. Don't get me wrong I was born on earth but I don't remember my life there. It's one of the many things that was taken from me. I was kept in a facility hidden in an asteroid belt. The scientists running the place were obsessed with improving the natural state of beings. They saw humans as prime test subjects. Their technology is so primitive to everything else in the galaxy they viewed me as pure, not corrupted by advancements. A good base line to work with. I never got to see other people but I heard their screams.' Kai paused. The look on Rockets face said he was living the same events in his head. 'Anyway they messed with me time and again and taught me that my cybernetics, my augments, could be controlled with emotion. You ever notice how when you touch something hot you pull your hand away super quick without even thinking? Imagine that hardwired into your every muscle but your nerves have eyes and ears and can sense threats before you even knew they were coming. The early tests were torture. I didn't have the co-ordination to keep up. It was like someone pulled puppet strings and my body would throw itself out of the way of objects being fired at me. Over time I got better. They thought they were really smart messing with my human memories and placing inhibitors so I couldn't be aggressive towards them. But they got so excited by my progress they let me manipulate the augments. Suggest improvements. It wasn't long before I knew just as much about what they had done to me than they did. I knew how it all worked...' 

'So what did you do?' Rocket was hanging on every word.

'I made them pay. It's mostly a blur. I never want to feel that kind of primal rage ever again. All I remember doing is downloading the information I needed to survive. I didn't realise my limits completely though. The information overloaded my synth network, corrupted the files. I had scattered files on earth and about the galaxy but I was dazed. My naive plan was to grab a shuttle and head back to earth. I got as far as the shuttle before the headaches became too much. I blacked out but not before I released all the air locks on the base. Anyone still alive would have been spaced. The Nova Corps found my escape pod and took me in. From that point on I was referred to as Project Shadow. They helped me and I helped them in return. They helped pull my mind back together. Gave me everything I needed to learn about myself and make improvements. All they asked is I do what I had done before. Root out the cyber nuts in their part of the galaxy and wipe them out. So I did. For a while.'

'What made you stop?' 

'The last job I took before I asked to get out. This place called Halfworld...' At the mention of that hell hole Rocket left his body for a moment. That was his story, why was Kai bringing it up? It didn't make sense. '...infiltrated as one of their sick minded scientists. It was late and I needed to run some recon while things were quiet. I passed this room and the light was still on. There was something in there because I could hear claws scraping against the smooth clinical floor. When I entered there was this thin beaten animal on the floor still alive. Bastards did this regularly. Left these living beings on the operating room floor to die over night. I don't know why but I couldn't stay away. This one just seemed to be fighting so hard. I went over and helped them up. It had patches of fur here and there but what wasn't shaved off was matted with blood. It cut me up inside. For the first time in a long time I felt something. It wasn't anger or indifference, I wanted to help. I grabbed some pain meds and a booster shot. I cleaned them up as best as I could. That's when they looked at me with the saddest eyes I'd ever seen, it was like me helping was making them give up, like they didn't need to fight anymore. I don't even think they understood a word of English but I said "Hang on a little longer". I carried them back to their holding pen. By then I had pretty much everything I needed from that place, it didn't matter if they found out. I was gonna call in the Nova to raze it all to the ground. End their suffering and wipe out the scum that built the place. I couldn't do it anymore after that though. Seeing that animal fighting for life and ultimately I got them killed. All in the name of Nova Justice.' Kai laughed. It was harsh and bitter. He looked over at Rocket who was staring at him. Like he was seeing him for the first time. 

'It was you...' Disbelief was written across his face as Rocket managed to force the words out. 

'What was me?' Kai was confused. Rocket must have gone past the point of simply being drunk, maybe it was time to take him back to the ship.

'It was you? THAT WAS YOU?!' Tears were threatening to spill down Rockets face. Kai blinked as the impossible realisation started dawning on him. The fresh blood, the surgery, of course Rocket was unrecognisable. He didn't even have a bushy tail lying broken on the floor. 'I always thought that he knew. That you knew. I had an escape plan. I thought that's what you meant by hanging on a little longer. I was going to die... but you...' Rocket didn't like to think back to those days, except for the ounce of kindness he was shown on Halfworld. A doctor that picked him up off the floor. Gave him medication to survive the night, cleaned and sealed his wounds. That moment was all that kept him from going insane. There weren't many good people in this galaxy but that small act of kindness was enough to stop him writing the whole damn place off. And there he was, in the flesh, like a dream stepping into reality. His saviour from all those years ago sitting next to him. Still being kind to him. Rocket launched himself at Kai tears streaming down his face. He stretched his arms as far around Kai as he could and hugged him so hard Kai could barely breath. This time he didn't care if anyone was looking, in fact he wanted them too. This Terran had saved him in all the ways a person can be saved and Rocket wanted the world to know it in that moment. Eventually they eased away from each other. Rocket had been sitting on Kai's lap and went to slide off. Kai protested by gently holding him in place. Leaning down he rested his forehead on Rocket's affectionately.

'You don't have to move.' His voice sounded deep and warm to Rockets ears. It sent shivers down his spine and blood rushing to where his brain thought he needed it most. How could he argue? Except out of the corner of his eye he could see Quill and Gamora. They were concluding their business with the pink skinned assistant of the Collector. The latest model no doubt. That creep traded them like playing cards. Rocket gestured with his muzzle and with a groan they got up and went to get an update. They might be drunk but they were technically on the clock and there's no rest for the wicked, not in this life apparently. 

'Good you guys are here.' Peter looked concerned. 'We've got some information. The Collector doesn't know everything but he has an idea where we might find our mad scientist. Me and Gamora are heading there now.' Gamora had her serious face on as she checked her weapons and straightened her clothes. 

'Alright lez go catch this wacko.' Rocket had sobered up a bit but his speech had a slur to it still. 

'Oh no, you guys are too far gone. We're only gonna do a little bit of snooping, get a feel for the place, check it out you know. You guys stay here and make sure Drax doesn't burn the place down.' Peter clapped Kai on the shoulder as he walked past following Gamora out of the bar.

'No problemo Captain.' Rocket gave a sarcastic salute to the back of Peter who was too far away to hear a word. Rocket looked at Kai. For the most part Rocket didn't hate himself. He kinda liked being unique. But right now he wished he could be unique but maybe a foot taller. Kai's face was too far away. Almost like he read Rockets mind Kai picked him up and sat him on the wall of the balcony. 'Man handle me again and you'll regret it Humie.' There was a devilish smile on Rockets face as he pulled Kai in that said he didn't mean a word of it. Kai laughed until their mouths met. Sliding his hands down Rockets back and holding onto his hips, Kai parted Rockets lips with his tongue. He couldn't hold back anymore. Kai wanted to taste him, he wanted rocket as close as possible and even then it wouldn't feel like enough. They gave into passion exploring each other unafraid until they were gasping for air. Smiling like idiots, they panted for breath leaning into one another. Kai looked down.

'Hey Rocky? You hiding a canon in your trousers or something?' Rocket gave a growl of pleasure as Kai grinded up against the bulge pressing into him. It was sending some heavenly images into Kai's mind and made him wish they weren't in the middle of a bar. After a gentle kiss on the lips Rocket eased himself back onto his feet and rearranged himself. Kai angled his member up into his waist band as well as they headed back into the bar to check on Drax. Kai wasn't quite finished though, as Rocket walked off he felt Kai's arms sliding around him. Kai pulled him close and grazed Rocket's neck with his teeth just to gauge his reaction. Rocket practically purred and leaned his head back begging for more. Kai was more than happy to oblige. With his inhibitions washed away from their time at the Boot of Jemiah, Kai desperately wanted to take things further but as they looked at each other it was pure joy. He didn't want to ruin it. Rocket wasn't sure if it was alcohol or something else he was drunk on at this stage but either way he walked back into the bar feeling like he was ten feet tall. Sure it was a few more feet than he'd wished for but he thought he'd let it slide this time. 

It's fair to say that not much good comes out of Knowhere but that moment they shared together was one of the rare exceptions.

\-----


	4. Open Wounds

The sounds from the Boot of Jemiah were fading in the back ground as the trio wandered back to the ship. Drax was leaning on Kai heavily as they staggered along. He was joking and laughing, most of what he was saying were the incoherent thoughts of someone on the verge of blackout drunk. Rocket was in high spirits still but had sobered up a little, enough that he would take offense when ever Drax made derogatory comments, but the banter was light hearted and each was giving as good as they got. Kai shifted Drax's weight for the tenth time before the big guy fell over his own feet. Kai noticed that despite how happy Rocket seemed he was keeping some distance between the two of them. That was fine by him, he was too busy as it was and now the alcohol was clearing from his system the thought of being openly affectionate in front of someone else was like an icy hand twisting his stomach. As they turned off the main street Quill's voice came over their comms. The connection was bad and his voice dropped in and out. Shifting Drax again Kai tried to boost the connection.

'Need... is anyone...' The voice sounded panicked and out of breath. This didn't look good. They were meant to be keeping out of trouble not going it alone, what were they thinking? Kai managed to clear the line and the voice came through clear and loud. 'Is anyone listening?! Rocket? Drax?!'

'It's Kai here, what's the situation Quill?' Rocket noticed the rigid military response from Kai. Not a flicker of emotion on his face just efficient communication.

'Gamora and I have kicked up some trouble.' The sound of Peter's Quad blasters came over the comms. 'I'm sending you our location.' Gamora's battle cry could be heard in the background and an unidentified screech got cut off as the line went dead. It sounded like chaos, exactly what Kai expected from these guys. Unorganised, rash, stupid. Everything he avoided on operations. Irani owed him for getting him involved with this madness but deep down he knew he didn't have the cold determination anymore to go it alone on such a high risk assignment. 

'They aren't that far from here. I'll go offer support, stay with Drax.' Kai was checking his interface giving him a clear route to what ever mess those two had gotten into. 

'I will charge into battle with you my friend! Simply point me in the direction of danger and watch my might!' Drax confidently declared stepping away from Kai. Taking one step he fell face first into the dirt.

'Outstanding...' Kai stated watching the Destroyer utterly destroyed as he bit the dust. Wasn't he old enough to know his limits? After a few quick checks Kai forced his Cybernetics to purge the alcohol from his system. He hated doing it but he needed it right now. He could feel a light headache forming as the chemicals, released throughout his system, balanced out and his focus sharpened. 

'I'm coming with you.' Kai wanted to protest but Rocket's eyes were hard and determined and they were wasting valuable time as it was. Kai nodded and set off at speed. He couldn't worry about Rocket keeping up, that was his problem, but to Kai's surprise he glanced round and Rocket was dashing along on all fours keeping pace without any issues. Kai smiled, he needed to stop his emotions undermining what Rocket was capable of. If Rocket got the slightest hint he'd probably punch the thought straight out of Kai's head. They tore down a back alley that opened up onto the back of a large old warehouse. They skidded to a stop and looked around. It didn't make sense this was the location Quill sent but it was empty. 

'I don't understand...' Kai double checked his interface. They were right on top of Quill and Gamora apparently. As Rocket began to shout asking where his friends were the ground shook violently. Kai jumped back as the floor erupted. A guy came firing out of the pit, jets propelling him up and away. Just behind him a green flash dashed out landing on the far side as gracefully as a cat. Quill sent blasts into the hole from his favourite weapons. The scene was iconic, Kai could imagine for the first time these guys in the heat of battle against titans.

'You made it! Hey guys!' Quill deactivated his face visor. Still cheery. Did this guy take anything seriously?

'What the hell is that?!' Rockets voice pulled Kai's attention back to the hole in the floor. A pair of giant insect like creatures came rushing out. Somewhere between a spider and a scorpion crossed with a nightmare. Kai noticed they had an odd reflection from their skin. Focusing up, his fears were confirmed. They were more machine than living. A guttural screech cut the air emanating from the creature that had spotted Rocket. It charged forward with it's long triangular head snapping vice-like jaws open and shut. Rocket pulled his collapsible blaster rifle off his back and opened fire, yelling straight back as the bolts ripped through the beast making it crumple mid run like it's puppet strings had been cut. It skidded to a stop in front of Rocket who clambered on top of it's carcass, firing down giving it a good double tap to make sure it wasn't going to get up. On the other side of the pit Gamora was slashing left and right using her mesmerizing mastery of acrobatics to keep out of reach of the jagged jaws and limbs desperately trying to tear her apart. Quill was drifting around in the air above the fight firing away at anything getting too close to Gamora for his comfort. Rocket was tearing apart the next monster emerging from the pit with blasts from his rifle. It was getting the job done but his aim was impaired still from the alcohol in his system. The beast wasn't going down fast enough. Kai wasn't idly standing by. The augmented plates on his forearms were out and menacing. Judging by his opponents method of attack, melee combat was not optimal but he didn't have much of a choice. Running wide and cutting in from the side he buried the sharp blades into the beasts side, sparks flying as his weapons grated against the metal covering the insect like creature. Before it had a chance to turn and rip into Kai, Rocket's shots hammered into its front. Now pinned by Kai it was like shooting fish in a barrel even if he wasn't on top form. Kicking the creature away from him it slumped to the ground.

'Yo Rocket you got any explosives? We need to bury these things or they'll keep coming!' Kai had no idea how many of these things there were and didn't want to keep this up much longer. Gamora was holding her own with Quill's back up but more of the creatures were trying to claw their way out of the pit.

'Who d'ya think you're talking to?' Rocket grinned as he threw a small jumble of parts to Kai. He turned it over in his hand and his eyes widened as he saw a flashing red light already active on the device. 'Throw it! Don't hold it!' Kai was not going to argue. Dashing to the edge of the pit he sprung off the wall, twisting mid air, launching the device into the pit. Landing near Gamora they worked together to push the two beasts back down into the darkness. With a warning cry Quill came flying from behind them and kicked the two creatures into the hole. 'GET CLEAR!' Rocket yelled at them. They dove back as fire burst into the air collapsing the hole. Standing on guard they watched for any resurgence from the rubble. It seemed quiet. They were in the clear. 

'Woo! That was fun right guys?' Quill tried to smooth things over. Gamora wasn't having any of it.

'You are an idiot! What part of stealth do you struggle to comprehend? Un-believable.' Gamora stomped off toward Rocket. Quill shrugged his shoulders throwing his hands up looking at Kai with an expression that said _Women, am I right?_ Kai shook his head in disbelief and went to regroup with Gamora and Rocket. Gamora was still muttering curses under her breath. Kai couldn't wait to hear the story behind this disaster. Rocket was poking and prodding at the slumped creature. Taking a closer look it was definitely living at some point but it was a cruel example of using an organic base to mount cybernetics to. They were war machines, all be it crude. Mindless soldiers geared toward extreme aggression. Rocket stepped back as the other three got to him.

'These things got wires all over. Think they might have recorded memory like your sister Nebula. Probably worth bringing it's parts back to the ship I rekon.' Rocket was a genius even if he still had some sobering up to do. Kai was appreciating that very fact as his cybernetics jolted warnings. The slightest twitch from the creature on the floor. His body, as always, reacted before he had even thought but his instincts kept his balance and co-ordination on point by now. As Kai dashed forward he had a brief moment of confusion. Time stood still as he contemplated the fact he was surging toward the danger. _That's odd..._ Kai thought. Kai's hands, blades retracting, connected with Rocket launching him back and off of his feet, eyes widening. Kai gasped as the long spikes of the creature punctured through his thigh, stomach and chest. The creature lurched forward pinning him to the alley wall with it's final death throw. 

'NO!' Rocket's voice broke with emotion as he saw the scene before him. Kai pinned to the wall, feet off the floor. His mouth was hanging open in disbelief and pain. Gamora was first to act, burying Godslayer into the creature and ripping it away with a roar. Kai fell to the floor and began convulsing. Rocket rushed to his side not sure what to do. Kai's jaw was clenched in agony as his muscles spasmed violently. 

'Shut it... down...' He managed to say through clenched teeth trying to extend his arm to Rocket. His paws reached for the interface and started tapping away. He wasn't familiar with this system but he could see it was red with warnings. The punctures must have damaged vital points of not only his human organs but the communication relays for his cybernetics. Rocket had taken the long way to get there but shut down the feedback loop that was causing Kai to writhe in agony. His body calmed and Rocket lifted Kai's head off the floor propping him up as best he could. Looking down at the open wounds things looked bad. Real bad. 'Guess I finally got to put my body to good use huh?' Kai's voice was shaky, he was in bad shape but managed a bit of a smile. Blood was leaking from the puncture wounds and his breathing was ragged.

'What did you do that for?' Rocket was upset. This wasn't right. That was three times his life had been saved now by Kai. Was he just a liability? Guilt was coming down hard. Kai managed to grab Rockets hand. 

'I didn't choose to, my subconscious must like you more than me.' It was true. His systems were geared for self preservation. They weren't meant to behave like this or at least Kai had no idea they were capable of putting him harms way. Rocket cradled him tight forcing back tears.

'What do I do?' Rocket asked.

'We need to get him back to the ship, no chance someone round here is going to offer help.' Quill was right. There were so many dodgy people on Knowhere that couldn't be trusted. At this rate though Kai was going to bleed out. 

'Rocket. Activate... crisis protocol.' The world swam before Kai's eyes as he tried to stay focused. He looked down and Rocket was tapping away through his system files. The screen flared green. Good he'd done it. Rocket was amazing. Kai's internal systems kicked in and started stemming the flow of blood from his gaping wounds. Gamora crouched by his side observing the strange technology. It wasn't a magic cure all. It was enough to buy time. Kai could feel himself sinking into the floor as pain relief was pumped out by his augments. 'Thanks Rocky.' Rocket could feel him getting heavy in his arms. 

'Stay with me, come on. What can I do?' Rocket felt like Kai was slipping away from him. 

'Kiss me maybe?' Looking down into Kai's eyes Rocket could see his pupils were dilated. The drugs were taking effect but the look on Kai's face showed a slight fear and desperation. Rocket could feel Quill and Gamora's presence burning into him. Kai's eyebrows creased in the middle and he turned his face away seeing Rocket hesitate. Rocket swallowed his pride, he didn't normally give a damn what other people thought of him so why start now? But really he did care, so much, what others thought of him. And right here and right now he wasn't going to let Kai slip away from him thinking he was a coward. Rocket put his hand tenderly on Kai's cheek turning his face back to him. Closing his eyes Rocket leaned down and kissed him slowly, passionately before pulling back and looking deep into Kai's eyes. The kiss was all Kai needed to give into the warm depths of unconsciousness. He reached his hand up to hold Rocket's again but it was like punching in a dream, his arm was slow and heavy as lead. Rocket watched as Kai's eyes closed and his head slumped into Rocket's chest. Rocket looked around at Gamora and Quill. Quill was gob smacked at what he had just witnessed. Gamora's face however was soft and compassionate. 

'Well don't just stand there gawking Orphan Boy! We need to get him back to the ship.' Rocket's mind was busy being practical. A useful escape from dealing with the current awkwardness with his friends. 'Xandar. We need to get him to Xandar. They'll know how to help. He said they fixed him up in the past we need to get him there.' Quill jumped into action picking Kai up with a grunt. Gamora tore the head off of one of the creatures so they could analyse it's memory bank for clues. Sadly the pair had arrived too late and the medical equipment had been stolen. They got a glimpse of the guy they were after but were swarmed by the augmented bugs and forced to retreat before they could have a conversation. They rushed as fast as they could back to the _Benatar_ picking up Drax, who was still dazed where they left him, on the way. Kai was still breathing, in critical condition but stable as they strapped him into the med bay of the ship. Time was of the essence and without a second thought they headed for Xandar as fast as the ship could carry them. 

\----- 

After the madness had calmed down and they were enroute to Xandar, a strange and uncomfortable quiet was felt throughout the ship. Rocket was hovering near where Kai was lying in the medical bay. Groot was with him. Groot didn't understand what was wrong with Rocket and at his current mental age didn't know what to do but felt like he needed to stay with his furry parent. Groot was different to most life forms, that was true enough but the advantage to that was the raw loyalty and a need to protect those that mattered to him. Quill walked in having left Gamora in charge of the ship. 

'It won't be that long till we arrive. He seems like a tough guy Rocket, he's going to be okay.' Rocket said nothing, didn't even react. Groot shuffled his feet anxiously. 'Look Rocket I don't know what's going on with you two and I'm not here to judge, I'm just here for you. Y'know if you want.' Quill was blind sided by what he saw. Lack of exposure to this sort of thing didn't give him any direction on how to go about approaching the topic but he felt he owed it to his friend to at least try. No matter how awkward it might feel. Rocket looked at Quill and gave a half hearted smile. It was all he could muster right now. Talking was out of the question. He walked away needing to be alone.

'Keep an eye on Groot for me will you?' Rocked managed to get the words out. He didn't have the strength to put on a brave face for Groot. He really needed to be alone but couldn't simply leave him alone like that. 

'Sure thing Rocket. How bout we go see if Mantis can cook us something for the ride Groot? Sound like fun?' Quill took Groot's hand and led him away. Rocket headed in the opposite direction towards their private quarters. 

Arriving at Kai's room Rocket let himself in. He wanted to feel close to Kai but couldn't be at his side right now. It was dumb but instead he started tidying. He made the bed and sorted the few items that were out on the side counters. Kai had only been in the room a few days so there wasn't much to do. As he went to close the draws of the bed side table a note book caught his eye. It was strange because no one used that stuff anymore. It was a typical human thing though. He pulled the draw open and started looking through. It was filled with notes. They weren't in a particular order it seemed. Information on cybernetics. Failed upgrades and thoughts on future changes Kai might make on his systems. As Rocket got to the last pages his ears perked up. There were a few diagrams of what could only be him. Comments about Kai's observations on him. Rocket was surprised. He didn't know what to think. On one hand he felt like he was back on Halfworld being examined and treated like a thing instead of a person. But then he looked closer. He paid more attention to the details. "Angle increase of six degrees on upper lumber region should eliminate tension gathering in cervical spine regions" it was a bit clinical but it looked like Kai was trying to help Rocket. He flipped to the last page, it had a half completed diagram of Rocket's lower arm and hand but had been scribbled through with a rough jagged line. All that was left on the bottom was a note saying "He's perfect". Rocket stared at the words long and hard before he closed the book and put it back in the draw. He felt his heart crumple and let his tears flow freely. Alone in the room Rocket let his walls come down. He picked up one of Kai's tops that had his scent on it and curled up on the bed holding it tight to his chest. No one got to see this side of him. Normally it was all jokes and insults. To put it bluntly it was tough to keep up the tough guy act and the emotion of it was only ever skin deep. It was these, the quiet lonely times, that he would occasionally let his demons out. He often felt alone before he became one of the guardians but what was worse was the terrible fear of having something to lose. He felt it first when Groot gave his life protecting them from Ronan the Accuser. Once bitten, twice shy. Rocket was trying to come to grips with life's pendulum of need constantly swinging from loneliness to the fear of losing the one's he cared for. He felt he was at a cross roads. Should he walk away and close his heart off from Kai? He was hopeful Kai would survive this but what about next time? Or worse what if Kai decided Rocket wasn't a worthy partner, or whatever this thing between them was, and walked away? The other direction meant he would have to give into the horror of being truly vulnerable with another person and accepting the price it could come with. To walk between those two lines would be to live a half life. Offering someone half of your heart or half of your truth was pointless. It would be the equivalent of betting equal amounts on red and black on a roulet game. You would get back what you put in but essentially remain in the same situation for eternity. Why protect a heart you have no intention of using? That my friends isn't living. Life is a gamble, nothing ventured, nothing gained. These home truths echoed through Rocket's mind as his tears soaked the shirt he so desperately clung to. 

\-----

They touched down on Xandar. A medical team was waiting and ready in the dead of night to take over Kai's care. In the back ground Rocket saw Nova's Prime looking worried but trying to remain discreet. Quill and Gamora hurried along with the medics, filling them in with as much information as Possible. Rocket decided to stay behind and was standing with Groot and Mantis. Mantis had her hand on Groot trying to sooth him the best she could. 

'You should go with them.' she said to Rocket. But he still felt this was all his fault. He was no Guardian, he was just a science project with an ego. He had no right to be anywhere near Kai. Mantis tried to reach out but Rocket pushed her hand away. He knew her tricks and right now he wanted to feel bad. It was his penance. He walked back up the boarding ramp to the _Benatar_. Mantis and Groot followed on behind. As the medics disappeared into the hospital and the noise quietened down another figure made their way on board the ship. 

\----

Head Slumped on the table, Rocket didn't notice the presence enter the room. 

'Would you tell me what happened to him? Please?' Irani Rael spoke to Rocket without insult or accusation. 

'What's it to you?' Rocket was taken by surprise and, naturally, lashed out as his prime directive dictated. 

'I might have imagined he would have told you by now. The look on your face was clear from where I was standing. I'm old but not stupid, you care for him. As do I.' She held herself high and regal. Not a drop of weakness shown on her face. Rocket tilted his head a few degrees trying to figure out her meaning. 'Project Shadow worked closely with me for a long time. Not a word of this leaves this ship. If I'm to proceed that is my price.'

'Fine, explain yourself.' Rocket knew she didn't like him much, the very fact she was speaking to him in private meant something deeper was going on here than he could wrap his head around. 

'When I found Shadow... Kai as he chooses to be known, he was barely reaching adulthood. He was lost and vulnerable. He wasn't a simple tool at the Nova's disposal, not to me. Publicly he had to be kept in the dark but personally I considered him a son I suppose. He grew up before my very eyes. He confided in me. I have innumerable responsibilities and must be seen as a bastion of hope and fortitude for the Nova Empire. But my heart still has maternal instincts. So please, explain how this happened.' In his years of service occasionally Kai might wind up with minor bruises, some damage to his cybernetics from active duty but never had he come even close to the scene she saw that night. Rocket explained what happened outside the warehouse. Irani sat and listened without interrupting and without judgement. 

'You guys can fix him right? This is all my fault, I can't...' Irani reached over the table and placed a kind hand on Rocket's. Perhaps they had finally found something they could agree on. Either of them would do what ever it took to protect Kai. As Nova's Prime she could no longer openly support and protect a free agent operating in the galaxy as Kai had become but she saw in Rocket someone who might take the reigns in her place. He was so young still or at least inexperienced in love, he didn't realise that none of this was his fault. Were the situation reversed he would be in the hospital bed and Kai would be the inconsolable one. She knew better than to waste her breath convincing him of it though. 

'I have every confidence he will be fine. He's strong, always has been. It is one of the many reasons I am so proud of him. You know I don't think I have ever told him that.' And there it was, a glimpse of the woman herself. A single tear running down her face. A secret they would both take to their graves. 'Go to him. I can't be seen with him so openly but you can.'

'Okay but here's **my** price.' Irani's eye brows raised. This was a fools statement, he would be at Shadow's side once their conversation ended regardless. Never the less she humoured him. 'When he wakes up you tell him what you just told me. Tell him you're proud of him. I know what it's like to lose the person most important to you lady and there's a thousand things I would have said if I got a second chance. You owe it to Kai, he deserves to know.' Without waiting for an answer Rocket left the ship to be with him. He could spend the rest of his life beating himself up for what happened but right now it wasn't about him. It was about the guy fighting for his life and when he woke up he wanted to be there so Kai knew the fight was worth it. If anyone had a problem with that they could quite simply go to hell, something Rocket would be more than happy to facilitate. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has left Kudos, it really means a lot and I hope you guys enjoyed the latest chapter :3


	5. Unchartered Territory

The warmth of the early morning light fell on Kai's face. In his half waking state it was wonderful. The few seconds before consciousness took hold of him stretched out pleasantly and he couldn't help but smile. Reality began to come crashing in as the clinical smell of the hospital wing flooded his nostrils. This was followed by the deep ache of his damaged body. His forehead creased as he became aware of his whole body, making sure not to move just yet. He opened his eyes slowly trying to remember what happened and figure out where he was. _I was dying... is this heaven?_ as he lifted his head and moved, pain seared through him. _Nope, not heaven!_ His teeth clenched as he relaxed back on the bed. He thought back and remembered. The kiss. That kind, loving face full of sadness. His guy, his everything, Rocket. Looking down, more carefully this time, there he was. A sleeping furry figure, head resting on Kai's good leg, his arm over Kai's stomach like he had crashed out still protecting him. Screw the pain, this might be the best morning of his life. He lifted his arm up slowly pulling the mask away from his face. The light rustling was enough to wake the sleeping guardian. Their eyes met but Rocket turned away looking sheepish.

'What you hoping I wouldn't wake up or something?' Kai said, his voice horse and his throat dry. He began to cough which sent shocks of pain through him like he couldn't believe. Rocket called out for help and some medical staff came rushing in. They gave him another dose of medication to ease him back into sleep but Kai desperately tried to stop them putting on the oxygen mask again. Rocket had backed away a few meters. He still felt so much guilt and couldn't bear the thought of what Kai might think of him. But then Rocket heard his name being said. Kai was fighting the flood of chemicals in his system, reaching out his hand toward Rocket. The doctor gave Rocket a scolding look that told him it was best for his patient if he would stay by Kai and stop him fussing so much. Rocket walked back to chair at his bed side and took his hand.

'It's alright I'm here ya idiot. You gotta relax.' Rocket sniffled, his allergies must be acting up again or something. Kai let his head rest back in the hospital bed, his eyes closing. He didn't know where he was or what was happening but feeling Rocket's fingers laced between his was enough to tell him he was safe. His breathing slowed and took on the steady rhythm of sleep. Rocket looked up at Kai's face lit up by the sun light. He looked so young still. He had rough stubble casting a shadow but now his features had relaxed a youthful innocence was painted across his face. Rocket looked at his bare chest and arms. Scars were all over him. Now he had some new one's to add to them but the silvery lines already there were all surgical. It was a body that showed openly and proudly how much it had suffered. The owner of this body had to be tough as the metal plates placed around his body but looking at the hand in his Rocket realised this guy might be strong enough to walk through hell alone but he wasn't the kind of person that wanted to. He smiled despite himself. Rocket lifted Kai's hand and kissed it before placing it gently back onto the bed. Kai would be out of it for a while according to the medical staff so he got up and went to find something to distract himself with. He couldn't rest again so soon and sitting there feeling useless was making him crazy. He checked in with Quill on the ship to give him an update. Quill mentioned they were going to catch up with the investigation team that had been working on the creatures memory bank. It seemed they had managed to find something useful after all. Rocket switched off his comm and leaned back on the wall. A deep sigh left his body as the realisation Kai was going to be okay dawned on him. He was alive at least and he had gotten through the worst of it by now. He had been out of it for days now. The time had blurred for Rocket who barely left Kai's side once he had come out of surgery. He buried his face in both paws and dragged them down to his neck, like he was wiping away the worry that had dominated his features lately. Pushing off the wall he pulled himself together for the meeting. Something good had to come from all this, Rocket needed a silver lining right now. 

\-----

The room had a buzz of activity as the guardians filtered in. Nova Prime was discussing with the engineer taking the lead on the meeting. He had a nervous disposition but by all accounts was one of the best in the core when it came to decrypting files. Rocket came in and Quill gave a wave as he headed over to take his seat. Mantis asked a few hushed questions about Kai's health but Rocket side stepped them as the meeting began.

'Thank you for coming I am happy to report we have managed to gain some information from the cybernetic memory units harvested from the creatures neural core. Its species is native to the planet Ra'Zen. This system to located a few jumps from Xandar and is easily accessible but has been given protected status since there is sentient life found there but they are millennia away from having structured civilisation. To put it plainly these life forms are the primary victims of this case.' A mumbling went around the room about this. Protected planets were taken seriously. It was a rule within the Nova empire that interfering with evolving life was to be avoided where ever possible so this information added to the crimes of the villain the Guardians were tasked with bringing in. 

'So are you saying this is where their operations are coming from? We can load up and head out right now to end this.' Quill stood as he spoke ready to rush into things as always.

'No, umm, Star Lord? Whilst they originate from this planet the scattered memory files we have managed to access show clearly that the brutal surgery these beings have undergone was performed onboard a ship with crude medical facilities. There is not enough clear information from this creatures memory to identify the ship or give a more clear idea of where they might be operating from.'

'Great so we haven't made any progress is what your sayin? Well that's fantastic.' Rocket couldn't hold back his venom. Truth was he was only attacking this engineer because the Nova Corps wouldn't let him near their labs to look himself. 

'We understand a great deal but at this stage no I can't say we have any leads per say but the data truly is fascinating...' Rocket was about to explode at this comment but Gamora managed to silence him with an ice cold stare before he went nuclear. The room fell quiet as the weight of the situation weighed down on the engineer. Noticing the dead air Irani rose from her seat and addressed the Guardians. 

'I am sorry the data was not more helpful than we had hoped but we are not paying you to simply knock on someone's door. If this matter were that simple we would have dealt with this already. This is more information than we had when you took on this assignment and Project Shadow will still require some time to recover enough to entertain the idea of active duty again. Might I suggest you take some time to consider your next step and we shall reconvene at a later date. Thank you all for your attendance. This meeting is adjourned.' With that she left the room looking frustrated. Rocket grumbled about how useless they all were as he was pushed outside by his team. 

'Great so what now then? friggin useless worthless good for nothin' Rocket needed better news than this, not a dead end. 

'Rocket calm down. It's like the boss lady says we still have more information than we started with.' Quill was actually just as disappointed but felt like he needed to take the lead here. 

'I suggest we go back to Knowhere and take another look around the facility. If that turns up nothing then we can start searching the creatures' home world.' Gamora was more thinking out loud than anything but it was the best option they had. 

'And what if you guys find nothing or worse what if you get in deep with those things again, you're not going to have us to save you again.' Rocket was being difficult and he knew it but it was all too much right now. He needed something more solid to work with here. He felt something on his shoulder. He turned and it was Groot's hand. He didn't like the worried tone in Rocket's voice. Immediately guilt made Rocket's stomach drop. He needed to get himself together. 

'If we find nothing then we will look elsewhere.' Mantis tried to reassure Rocket and her cute innocence was hard to be mad at. 

'Fine I guess it's all we've got right now.' Deflated but accepting Rocket accepted the plan. 'But we've gotta get back before Kai is up and at it again. I don't want to tell him we've got nothing okay?'

'Yeah about that. Uh guys can I get a minute?' Quill asked the rest of them to give them some space. Drax of course assumed he could stand and be a part of the situation. 'Drax come on man! You have to know I wasn't including you here.'

'Why? I feel guilt as much as this small beast for being so inebriated as our comrade fell in battle.' Rocket rushed to attack the big idiot for his insults but Quill managed to get between them. 

'Rocket don't. Drax go with the others, please?' With a sigh Drax left and followed the others back to the ship. 'Okay so we're going back to Knowhere but I don't want you coming with.'

'What?! Why?! I'm...!' Peter interrupted before Rocket could go any further. 

'Look Rocket we're a team but truth is you're not in the right head space right now. You've been out of it ever since, well, you know.' They both stopped and Rocket looked away unable to argue. 'We'll go check out the lab but you need to stay here with Kai for now. He took a big hit having our backs and it doesn't feel right leaving him here alone. I don't feel like this is home for him anyway so he should have someone watching out for him.' Even though Rocket wanted to argue for the sake of it he did like the idea of taking some time out. Looking after Kai seemed like a great way to repay him. But everything had moved so fast with them lately he was also terrified of being alone with him sober for a change. 'We're not gonna take off straight away we need some time to plan so we don't end up in the same situation. Why don't you go check in with Kai and meet us at the ship in a bit. You'll need your stuff anyway whilst we're gone.' with all the decorum of a moody teen Rocket agreed with Quill and walked off in the direction of Kai's recovery room. 

\-----

Kai was still out of it when Rocket arrived so he sat next to his bed thinking through everything. He was still annoyed by the lack of information the Nova Core had harvested from the creatures memory files. His ears twitched bringing him out of his thoughts as he heard movement from Kai. He looked at Kai's face and his eyes opened. The medical technology was brilliant. In the hours since he was last awake his wounds were already healing. Kai made a few gentle movements to gauge how damaged he still was and was pleasantly surprised that moving was at least possible now without taking his breath away. He started reaching up to remove the oxygen mask but some furry hands made it there first.

'Take it easy this time okay? lemme get you a drink.' Rocket passed a cup of liquid to Kai. Rocket was glad he had the strength to take it. It would have felt awkward having to do it for Kai. As he gulped down the drink he looked at Rocket. 

'I feel like crap.' Kai stated plainly. It was enough to lighten Rockets mood.

'Well you don't look like it at least.' Kai raised an eyebrow at the shy compliment from Rocket. 'Well all things considered you don't completely look like crap.' Kai laughed a little at this before wincing. He wasn't completely back to normal after all. 

'So you gonna fill me in? What day is it?' Kai Asked as he rested back.

'You've been out a few days now. We brought you back to Xandar after you got nailed by one of those things. You saved me again. If I wasn't so stupid... I didn't know if you were gonna be okay' Rocket rested his elbows on the bed an buried his face in his hands. 

'Hey.' Kai gritted his teeth and raised his arm. The pain in his chest flared but it was manageable. He put his hand on Rocket's shoulder. 'I'm just glad you're okay.' They looked at each other feeling a strong attraction combined with the fear of new emotion. Looking around Rocket couldn't see anyone outside the room and it didn't sound like anyone was near either. He slowly climbed up on the bed, Kai offering an expression that invited him. Being careful not to touch the wounds still healing on his stomach and chest Rocket cuddled up to Kai. There was a lot of emotion bubbling up inside the pair but words didn't come. Instead they just enjoyed the moment. Kai was alive, Rocket was by his side. Given the limitless alternatives to what had gone down this was better than either of them dared to hope for. After a time Rocket knew he needed to catch Kai up on what had happened. The dead end of the memory files, what damage had been done to Kai and a run down of what the the doctors had told Rocket.

'Great so I'm on the bench for now then huh?' Kai responded as Rocket finished. 

'Yeah but I'm out too.' The idea didn't seem so bad to Rocket now. Kai didn't hate him, if anything he seemed to proud of almost getting himself killed. _Idiot_ Rocket thought with a big smile of someone falling in love. 

'Where's my ID?' Kai asked to Rockets confusion.

'Umm okay you're not well so I'll try to explain this again. You're in a hospital. You got injured after being at the bar....'

'No you fuzzy moron! My interface device.' Kai said pointing to his forearm.

'Oh! Your screen thingy, it's right here.' Rocket hopped off the bed to pass it to Kai. Kai took it and went to strap it on but Rocket pulled his hand away. 'Whoa! Wait you're still damaged! That thing sent you crazy when you got hurt.'

'Rocket it's fine. The crisis protocol was running otherwise I'd be dead right now. It'll check my systems and tell me what's wrong without tearing me apart.' Kai connected the interface to the ports on his forearm and it lit up. Reports flashed across the screen running scans on his whole system. 'Hmm yeah I'm gonna need to patch myself up at some point.' Rocket was curious and peered at the screen. He didn't understand the various codes and warnings flashing up but it was starting to piece itself together. Kai noticed him watching and could almost hear the cogs of his mind cranking to life. 'Looks like a few relays are out and one of the processing units has been destroyed.' Kai started explaining how his cybernetic network ran through his system and why the feedback loops caused so much mayhem. They talked for ages about this, Rocket asking a million questions. Rocket wanted to help fix things, it was least he could do but also he really, really wanted to get his paws on this tech. It was fascinating. Normally Kai would have been bothered by this but made an exception for Rocket. 

'Well when the others get back you should be back on your feet and we can use my workshop to get you fixed up.' Rocket was buzzing at the idea.

'Hey I've seen your workshop, it's a mess, and I'm not spare parts that you can jam together.'

'Hey! I take offence at that, even if it is true.' Rocket crossed his arms and pouted as Kai laughed. 

'It sucks they didn't pull anything more useful from those creatures.' Kai sighed. 

'Yeah they wouldn't let me near the lab either. I'd have done a better job with my eyes closed.' 

'Remind me not to let you near my neural networking then.' Kai smiled trying to change the subject.

'Why what you got hidden in there then?' Rocket asked. He would never invade another person like that but it didn't hurt to ask right?

'It's hard to say really. The Terran stuff in there is jumbled, I could never figure out what was mine and what I jammed in there when I escaped.' Kai frowned thinking. He had obsessed about this for years. 'Most of it was to do with how humans interact with each other. If I made it back there I wanted to have an idea of what it would be like.' Humans had weird customs but some of them seemed like great fun, some of them Kai desperately wanted to experience. Thinking about this an idea sprung into his mind. He had Rocket to himself for a few days at least. Maybe this was an opportunity. 'Rocket would you go on a date with me?' The words left his mouth before he had thought it through. Suddenly dying might have been a viable alternative based on the response he was about to get. Maybe he could fake a heart attack or a stroke? He would have probably preferred to be in front of a firing squad right now.

'What's a date?' Rocket said his muzzle scrunched up with his head slightly cocked to the side. That did not help the awkwardness Kai felt. He had never been on a date but these memories deep in his head had images that made it seem like that was what he wanted to do with Rocket. 

'Uhh I dunno it's like you go for food or something and get dressed up and talk.' Kai's skin was writhing with his discomfort of not only asking but now having to explain this to Rocket. Urgh why didn't he just take Rocket somewhere instead of making a big deal out of this. It was dawning on Rocket what kind of thing Kai had in mind. There were many things that Rocket was capable of. Dressing up was not something he had ever considered. He was a four foot Raccoon for god's sake. Finding a flight suite or combat gear was hard enough. Seeing the panic taking over his furry features Kai had to say something. 'Like nothing fancy but maybe we leave the weapons on the ship and look civilised.'

'You saying I don't look civilised?' Oh god this couldn't be worse. 

'No you do but I don't know maybe...' Kai was floundering at this point. The big bad secret weapon of the Nova Corps lost for words and in a panic about taking someone to dinner.

'Yes.' Rocket cut in. 

'Yes?' Kai asked stunned.

'I'll go on a date with you.' Kai could breath again. If he wasn't so damaged and desperately trying to contain himself he would have jumped for joy. Rocket looked like he had signed up for shock therapy. The medical staff had arrived to check on Kai so Rocket made his excuses and headed for the ship as the team crowded the bed Kai was on. This was the dumbest thing Rocket had ever agreed to bar none. The sad and crushing truth was he only had one person to turn to about human stuff. Quill was going to ruin him for this. 

\-----

Peter was busy working on the ship. He had a couple of metal panels sitting on the floor as he stood on a crate to get into the wiring of the ship. He was muttering something to himself as Rocket came walking slowly into the corridor. Rocket was literally dragging his feet as if certain death was all that awaited him. 

'God damnit, oh hey Rocket, can you pass me that wrench this freakin thing is jammed tight.' Rocket passed him the tool and hovered not knowing how to start this particular conversation. Quill noticed he was loitering. 'Something on your mind?'

'You err, you're a Terran right?'

'Hey! Well done bud you finally figured it out!' Quill laughed as he continued working.

'Shut up jerk! I mean that, well, Kai is Terran too.' Peter pulled his head away from what he was doing and looked down at Rocket with a confused look on his face.

'Okay Rocket we can do this the easy way or the slow awkward painful approach we're currently skipping down together. What do you wanna know?' He had stepped down from the crate and turned his full attention to Rocket at this stage. Quill sat there looking expectant a bright smile on his face. Rocket's stomach twisted and terror was washing over him.

'Well he wants to... he wants to go on a date.' Rocket looked up but Quill had a blank expression.

'So go on a date then.' Annoyance flickered through Rockets head. _Oh just go on a date! Great well that's all the advice I needed!_ Gritting his teeth Rocket managed not to bite Peter's head off.

'I don't know what a "date" is exactly and I was **hoping** you might be able to give me some idea before I make myself look like a complete jackass.' The air went still for a moment or two as the words sank in. Slowly a smile started spreading across Quill's face, turned into a full on grin and then evolved into roaring laughter. Rocket launched himself at Quill shoving him onto the floor and swearing to dismember him if he didn't stop laughing. Eventually Peter got a grip that had something to do with Rocket aiming a large wrench at his face. 

'OKAY! Okay! Aww man of all the things, he's growing up I'm so proud.' Quill began to chuckle again. Rocket pulled back his arm to swing. 'Whoa! It's fine dude, I'll help.' Rocket looked at him not sure if he was telling the truth or not. Slowly he put down the weapon and let Peter get up. Sure enough Peter filled in Rocket on what a date was. Certain etiquette that he should follow, conversation topics, the whole thing. With every word Rocket's anxiety rose. Rocket was following Peter around the ship as he talked about romance like he was some kind of expert. Eventually they arrived at Peter quarters. Rocket looked up confused. 'Right now for the final thing you need to be ready for Rocket.' Peter opened the door and entered the bedroom encouraging Rocket to follow. Rocket was starting to panic. _What the hell is happening?_ He thought, fear building. 'Come on in Rocket.' His mind fighting every step, Rocket entered the room, Peter was around the corner of the room reaching into a cupboard. Rocket didn't know where this was going but he reached to his hip and unclipped his weapon from the holster on his leg. With a sound indicating success Peter poked his head round the corner and threw something to Rocket. Rocket flinched and caught it. Looking down it was... a toothbrush. 'Look man your teeth are nasty and Gamora would punch me in the face if I tried to kiss her in that state. You need to get scrubbing my friend before your make out session with your boyfriend!' Rocket breathed a long sigh of relief. He didn't know where Quill was going with all this and he was fully prepared to shoot him, even if he was one of his only friends. Quill brushed passed Rocket patting him on the head as he passed. Rocket snapped at his hand coming to his senses.

'He's not my boyfriend!' Rocket shouted as Peter disappeared off. Looking at the brush Rocket checked his teeth in the mirror. Maybe Quill had a point after all. 

\-----

Kai was well past being bored of the droning tone of the Nova Corp idiot rambling on and on at him. It was the same smug guy they met after being attacked. This moment should have felt satisfying for Kai as the orders for him and Rocket to be tracked had been rescinded but this guys super power was clearly the ability to suck the joy out of everything and anything. Rocket saved the day as he entered the room. 

'Hey! Douche bag! How's life behind a desk?' Rocket openly expressed his distain for the guy which was more than enough motivation for the him to turn on his heel and walk out with a huff. Kai had a haunted look on his face. Rocket was concerned. 'You doing okay?'

'Almost two hours.' Kai said turning to Rocket.

'What's two hours?' Thoughts flashed through Rocket's mind. 

'That is how long he has been droning on at me. I started to lose the will to live.' Rocket breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. Kai gave Rocket the extremely condensed version of events. Kai had been given living quarters near the city center to recover and he was free to leave the medical facility. Rocket was particularly happy to hear they weren't gonna make him wear a tracker. 'So yeah I was gonna head there now and check it out if you wanna come with?'

'Yeah I'll give you a hand and head back to the ship for our stuff while you settle in.' With a grunt Kai swung his legs off the bed. He was so glad he had time to get dressed before Rocket showed up. It was a slow and fairly embarrassing process. His muscles were stiff from being in the bed for days and his wounds were healed on the outside for the most part but internally there was a small way to go. Rocket hovered nearby as Kai got to his feet. Kai's injured leg was not happy about taking his weight that was for sure. Kai stretched out a hand to Rocket and he rushed forward and took it. Rocket was glad to have a reason to hold his hand but Kia didn't move.

'Uhh Rocket I kinda wanted you to pass me the crutch actually.' Kai couldn't look at him, this was so awkward. Looking behind where he had been standing Rocket saw the crutch leaning against the wall. Dying inside he got the crutch and passed it to Kai keeping his eyes low. The journey to the city apartment was a quiet one. Rocket wanted to go back to the ship for their belongings if only to get away from this awkward air between them. He couldn't leave Kai though until he knew he was safely at their destination. 

It was a great living space. Nothing too flashy but an open plan living area with a large bed against one wall, nice lounge area and one wall was completely see through giving a sweeping view of the city scape. It would look beautiful as the evening set in. 

'Damn. This place is great! What do you think roomy?' Kai asked. This place was great. Better than any of the run down places he had stayed in recent memory. Rocket was impressed. It was a bit too domestic for his liking but he couldn't argue the soft carpet felt good on his paws. The journey had been a bit draining for Kai and as much as he tried to hide it from Rocket he could see the beads of sweat on Kai's forehead. Kai took a step into the room toward the sofa and his foot dragged on the carpet making him stumble. Rocket was right there in a flash. Rocket managed to get a hold of Kai before he fell, he was much stronger than he looked and supported Kai enough to make it to the comfy seating. 'Thanks Rocky.' Kai said with a shy smile easing back. 

'I'll let you fall on your face next time. Might teach you to take things easy.' Rocket had a soft tone to his voice and it had a ring of uncertainty to it. 

'What's up? Don't you like me calling you that?' Kai asked.

'No, I like it. I really like it actually but I don't know how to deal with it. Now anger I get but what am I meant to do with the nice feelings y'know?' Rocket was feeling awkward again. He didn't know if he should get on the sofa or run out the door. 

'Yeah I know what you mean it feels weird right? But good weird. Look I can back off if we're gonna be staying here together till the others get back.' Kai scratched the back of his head. He felt like he was pressuring Rocket. 'Look about the date thing we don't have to worry about it.' 

'Okay I'll tell Quill to cancel the plans then if you like?' Rocket was feeling smug about this. Sure it was Kai's idea and Rocket had totally high jacked the situation but he wanted to be in control of something. He wanted to do something nice for Kai. Kai took in the words and grinned, Rocket couldn't help but smile back. 

'Well I wouldn't want to upset the captain would I?' Kai was too tired for this level of excitement, he was wiped out. His face started to lose it's colour a bit. Rocket helped him Lie down on the couch.

'You rest up alright I'll be back later. Anything specific you need from the ship?' Kai told Rocket a short list of things he needed and with that Rocket headed off and left Kai to catch his breath. 

\-----

Rocket had begged Mantis and Gamora to help him shop for something to wear for the next day but Gamora curtly responded with a cold hard stare and something about being a warrior not a fashion model. Mantis was more than happy to help but was shut down by Quill saying they would be leaving Xandar in less than an hour. Rocket accepted the horrifying fact he was going to have to go alone. This day sucked. He packed up what he needed and had it sent to the apartment. With a gulp of dread he made his way off the ship and toward the fashion district. He knew it quite well as there were always rich suckers there to target back in his good old days of thieving and bounty hunting but never did he think he would be one of the suckers actually shopping there. How far he had fallen from who he used to be. He had travelled the stars but for the first time his courage was truly being tested. This small adventure was strange and unchartered territory for one Rocket Raccoon. It would all be worth it if it made Kai happy though. Rocket caught a glimpse of himself in a shop front, he still looked the same on the outside that was for sure but he couldn't deny he was feeling very different on the inside lately. He also couldn't deny that feeling inside felt pretty damn good. Shaking his head with a smile on his face he pushed open the shop door, bravely going where no raccoon had ever gone before. 

\-----


	6. We're all Animals

Rocket was gone when Kai woke up. He had given the bed to Kai last night while he crashed on the sofa and it was a good thing too. Kai was feeling so stiff he didn't think he would make it off the sofa without help. He stumbled over the to counter and found a note left on the side. It told him to meet Rocket later that day, giving an address. The note was signed "Rocket" then scribbled through with "Rocky" written instead. It made Kai smile. He checked the time and realised he needed to get a move on, he was still wiped out from dealing with his injuries and had slept most of the day away. Even worse he slept in his clothes and really needed to sort himself out. He managed to get out of his clothes and took a shower, the hot water soothing his stressed out muscles and getting him back to something more like normal. As he stepped out of the humid air and began to think about the evening ahead it dawned on him he needed moment to catch himself. He was actually going on a date. It seemed like madness, this kind of sappy stuff wasn't a part of his life. In all fairness it was alien to Rocket as well. It's not like he wasn't looking forward to it but he could already feel knots forming in the muscles he had just relaxed. He pulled on some nice clothes and used it as a metaphor to pulling himself together. He thought back to a time when he would feel sick going into operations with the Nova Core, he was young then and that seemed like the perfect excuse. He wasn't a kid anymore and he wasn't going into a fight, this was way worse according to his subconscious mind. Kai grunted at the ridiculousness of it all and was glad no one was around to see this seasoned warrior sweating at the idea of enjoying a nice meal with someone he cared about. He wondered how Rocket must be feeling and that helped him get motivated, he could only imagine Rocket was feeling out of his depth as well and turning up late would be torture for Kai's new favourite person. With determination he forced himself onwards, his leg still wasn't happy about taking his weight but he didn't want to take his crutch, it would really kill his image. He went through the couple of boxes he asked Rocket to bring and managed to fashion a brace. He was going to have a bit of a limp but the brace looked kinda badass which was all the mattered. With a deep breath he put the address from the note into his interface device and left. _I mean how bad could it be anyway right?_ Kai thought as the door closed and there was no turning back. 

\-----

Kai made his way to the upper levels of a large building filled with different businesses and looked about. This was the place Rocket had said to come on his note. It was a beautiful place decorated with materials that reflected the natural light all around. Kai was taking a moment to enjoy this when he saw him. Rocket was pacing slowly outside the restaurant. He looked stunning. His tawny fur kept catching the light giving it a golden hue. Kai stood there appreciating Rocket's new look. If anyone had asked, even his closest friends wouldn't have pictured the sight before Kai right now. No battle ready armour and rifle slung over his shoulder, no devices strapped to his legs ready to cause mayhem, just smart casual attire that worked with his fur tones and made his eyes look like gems. _No way he picked that out himself right?_ Kai refused to believe this rough and ready bounty hunter has fashion sense. Rocket caught sight of him and Kai snapped out of it walking over.

'So?' Rocket held his hands out shrugging his shoulders. He felt stupid, he wasn't meant to be wearing civilian clothes so he probably looked stupid too and Kai was going to laugh and walk off.

'You look... I don't have words. Just wow.' Kai really meant it and it helped ease Rocket's mind. 'You're missing one thing though.'

'What did I forget?' Rocket looked down confused. Damnit he asked the assistants to make sure he had everything right for this. Some light threats and some extra units should have meant they did their damn job. What was wrong with him? Rocket was falling off the mental cliff into an existential crisis when Kai answered.

'To smile.' Rocket stopped looking down at his clothes and slumped his shoulders. 

'Really? Is that how this is gonna go? Mushy talk all day?' Rocket did smile though. They headed into the restaurant and were shown to a table for two. It was all quite classy and they felt out of place as they starting glancing over the menu. The waiter came over asking for an order but honestly they didn't even know where to start.

'Don't you guys have any real food? I mean for a classy place you don't have any taste.' Rocket grumbled feeling pressured and out of his depth.

'Perhaps sir would like to feed his animal else where if nothing on the menu is appealing?' The waiter was speaking to Kai. Kai pushed his chair back and started to rise ready to hit the guy but Rocket put a firm hand on Kai's wrist keeping him down.

'No it's fine I can handle this. So you wanna call me an animal? That's fine, never really understood that as an insult anyways. Of course I'm an animal, and I like the idea of being his animal if I'm gonna be anyone's. But let me ask you this, if you're not an animal, what are you then?' Rocket was in control for once, not letting his anger talk for him. 

'I am a Xandarian.' The waiter replied looking down his nose at Rocket.

'Well no shit! I ain't colour blind the pink skin was a bit of a give away. But I didn't ask you where you from I asked if you're not an animal what are you?' The waiter looked perplexed and didn't respond. 'You see mister snooty pants waiter sir, guys like you are way dumber than you know. Animal ain't an insult, we're all animals. I'm an animal and I'm a person and I don't care what you think. Now how about you get lost and send someone else over. I don't wanna look at your stupid face.' Kai was stunned but had to laugh as the waiter shook with irritation and made the smart choice to walk away. The customer isn't always right, that's a myth, but on this occasion the customer was dead right and everyone knew it. Kai loved every second of that and the smug look on Rockets face said he was pretty damn pleased with himself too. Perfect opportunity to show off in front of his date without having to shoot anyone. He couldn't have asked for more. After the air had settled a bit Kai spoke. 

'Hey? Is there anything on here you actually want to eat?' Kai asked Rocket. Rocket didn't even know what half of the stuff was to be honest but didn't want to ruin the date at the first part. Seeing Rocket hesitate Kai continued. 'Can I be honest? I feel like this place has Peter written all over it. I think it's sweet he tried to sort this out for us but I actually passed a place on the way here. I don't want pretentious food and judgemental waiters I wanna eat good food and get to know you.' Rocket let out a sigh of relief. He was willing to do this for Kai but seriously this was how Peter would pick up his one nighters, with a bit of romance and expensive food. This wasn't the scene for these two guys. Jumping off the seat with a grin Rocket helped pull Kai's seat out and gave a mock bow as he got to his feet. 

'Riiight this way sirrr.' Kai laughed at Rocket's mockery of the place as they walked out of the restaurant. From then on the tension in the air left them and they settled into talking. They stuck to small talk and lighter topics and Rocket was losing himself in the moment. It felt so good every time he made Kai laugh or when he was simply fully engaged in their conversation. Rocket spent a long time with Groot as just the two of them. He loved Groot but he was never the conversation type. What he was experiencing right now was something Rocket was sorely missing in his life. He had Peter and they had great fun getting drunk and talking about crap all night but it wasn't something they did sober very often. Rocket always felt awkward knowing that Peter would rather be with Gamora. The evening stretched on while they sat in a bar that served decent food. The place had the right feel and it was the compromise they needed. No one was bothering them and the staff were just there to do a job, not throw opinions around. The conversation stopped while they ate and the silence lingered a bit after the plates were clean. It wasn't an awkward quiet though, it felt warm and inviting. Kai moved closer to Rocket. He brought his hand up to Rocket's head and went to stroke his head but Rocket pulled away.

'Don't. Don't do that.' Kai was taken aback.

'Why? I only wanted to...'

'Because I'm not a pet okay? I don't care what that guy said earlier, dude was so up himself thinking calling me an animal was an insult. But being treated like a pet is insulting and your lucky I didn't bite your hand off.' Rocket said it looking at the table annoyed. 

'Is that how you think I see you?' Kai was a bit hurt, things were going so well this didn't make sense.

'I just don't like it okay?'

'I'm calling bull shit. I don't think of you as a damn pet and you know it. Now let me fuss you and then if you can look me in the eye and say you don't like it I won't do it again. Sound fair?' Rocket grumbled but couldn't argue. Kai reached again and Rocket held still with his eyes closed. Kai gently put his hand on Rocket's head right between his ears and brought his hand down his neck working his fingers through the thick fur. The fur felt soft and warm. He brought his hand back and slid his fingers along those triangular ears. Rocket leaned his head into it, a slight rumble came from his chest. As kai continued to fuss him his ears drooped and he was almost purring. 'I knew you were lying.' Kai rumbled into his ear with a low whisper. Rocket turned his face into Kai's and nuzzled him. 'So you gonna tell me what that was really about?'

'I don't wanna be seen like that. People always think they can treat me like a pet and it pisses me off.' Rocket hated being treated like that. Looking the way he does it was hard enough getting respect and it usually meant compensating with a large weapon pointed at someone's face to earn it. Not that fear was respect but he would take that any day over letting random people play with his ears and call him cutesy names. 

'But when you're with me you don't have to be that guy. You know you mean more to me than that. You can let your guard down with me.' Kai sighed. 'I know I want to when I'm around you. It's exhausting always having to be that guy.' Rocket felt those words. They melted something inside him and he couldn't resist pulling Kai close. He looked deep into those Terran eyes and saw happiness and respect, it was enough to blow him away. He kissed Kai deep and slow. 'You know you look really good dressed like that.' 

'Yeah well don't get used to it.' Rocket replied with a smirk. 

'Why not?' Kai was teasing, he did love the look but could never in a million years imagine Rocket dressed like that on a day to day basis. It was too normal, like he had quit being a guardian and just got back from his job as a postman or something and decided to smartened up for a night on the town. It was a crazy idea.

'Dressed like this Groot probably wouldn't even recognise me! I'd give the poor guy a heart attack or something?' Rocket tilted his head wondering what Groot's equivalent to a heart attack would be for his species. 

'Can I ask you something?' Kai seemed a bit hesitant but he'd come here to get to know Rocket so there wasn't going to be a better time. 'You and Groot, I mean that can't be easy. I heard what happened with Ronan. So are you like his parent or what? How does it work and like...' Kai was rambling he needed to think these things through before he opened his dumb mouth. 'What I mean is can you talk to me about you and Groot. I could never imagine myself in that position and it seems like a lot to deal with.' Rocket wasn't prepared for this. He didn't really stop and think about their situation. 

'It's what you do when someone gives everything to protect you.' Rocket's eyes were misty thinking back to that moment. 'I never signed up to become his "parental figure" or nothing but the other guys... they love Groot but they don't understands him like I do. So yeah I had to step up and put him first for a change. I didn't get a choice.' Rocket was talking into his glass at this point. Kai kept quiet, he could see Rocket was thinking things through and didn't want to push him into saying anything else if he didn't want to. Instead he put his arm around Rocket so he knew he was there and he was still listening. 'It's not easy.' Rocket whispered and felt so guilty admitting it. He owed Groot his life so it was only right he give his life to raise him up the right way in return. But being a single parent in the very dangerous industry of protecting the galaxy was stressful. 'I lost him once already right? I don't know if I can do that again. And what if I die on some stupid mission and he's left all alone? You know I invent stuff and pull parts together and most of the time it's to stop me thinking about this stuff.' 

'Sorry, I didn't mean to drag the mood down. I shouldn't have asked.' Kai felt bad now. He was glad Rocket opened up but he seemed really down, this was obviously a challenge Rocket was getting through day by day. Having to stop and process it in such a real way was bound to bring up a range of emotions. 

'Nah I'm glad you asked. No one else does. Look I worry and I look after him so yeah I guess I'm the closest thing he's got to a parent but that's not a bad thing. He keeps me sane and keeps me motivated and hell he has given me the perfect excuse to stick around. I can't just jump ship without him and you should see what he's like on missions. Complete nightmare! So no way I could jump ship with him either. So, you know, I have to stay with the idiots like a big dumb family for Groot's sake.'

'Right because you wouldn't wanna stay with them for any other reason?' Kai laughed at Rockets see through excuses. It seemed to Kai that Groot had done a lot for Rocket as well. Rocket had become a bit softer for the right reasons and a hell of a lot stronger as a person for the best reasons, all because he had Groot in his life. The conversation changed to lighter topics again so they could clear the air. Rocket tried to fight the urge but eventually began asking more about Kai's cybernetics.

'So you know all of how and why your kit works. Why didn't you take it all out first chance you got? Instead of building on it? I mean I'm not saying you wanna be like this but it don't add up.' Kai took a few sips to think about this. He had struggled with the exact same questions before but had never been called out on it by another person till now. Rocket didn't have that choice to make. If his cybernetics and augmentations were removed he wouldn't be a functional life form anymore. Kai wasn't sure what he would become without all of his upgrades but he knew at one point it might have been possible to purge himself of his hardware. 

'I guess I did have to make that choice. I was taken from everything that I knew and my memories were ripped away from me mostly. By the time I was working with the Nova Corps I thought I was heading down a path that couldn't be stopped. But you know what? That's a lie I told myself at the time. What I was scared of was taking everything that made me useful and throwing it away. I could have isolated my neural links, they would have needed to stay, but everything else could have been removed. I would have been able to pass as normal even if I had scars all over. But what would I have done then? Taken a desk job with the Nova Corps? I was a shadow operative which means I didn't officially exist and it would have raised too many questions. My drive to understand the tech imbedded in me was originally to remove it and go back to earth and live happily ever after. But by the time I knew how to do that I had forgotten how to survive without it. So here I am. Flesh, bolts and metal.' Kai raised his glass in a mock cheers and took a long drink feeling slightly ashamed to say the truth out loud but much lighter for it at the same time. 

'Jeez and you don't even have fur to hide it under neither.' Kai punched Rocket in the arm for that comment. 'Hey! Sorry but it's true!' Kai was getting ready to shove him right out of the booth they were sitting in but the gleeful chuckling and smile Rocket was sporting disarmed him completely. 'I'm glad you didn't, we already got a normal Terran on the ship and he's bad enough. I much prefer the look of you, I might even say I like having you around.' Rocket was sliding his paw up the inside Kai's leg as he spoke. Their time together had worn away Rocket's inhibitions, he felt so comfortable with Kai. It was having the desired effect on Kai too. He was speechless with all of his blood draining away from his brain, his trousers threatening to tear apart, or at least it felt like it. They chatted a while longer but as the daylight began to fade Kai was really feeling the aches setting back in. They were having such a great time he hadn't noticed but as he got up from the table it must have shown on his face. 'Alright time to get you back.' They took a slow walk back mostly for Kai and his busted leg but he was playing into it a bit as well. Neither of them were ready for the day to be over. They were still talking when they got back to the apartment. With the late evening light the room was lit up with orange hues. Rocket wandered over to the large window and dimmed the glare coming in. Soft lighting came to life around the open plan apartment. 'So I guess you can take the bed again.' 

'Yeah I guess.' Kai said hesitating. He knew what he wanted. He wanted Rocket in bed with him. 'Umm can you give me a hand?' Kai needed to lie down but he didn't want to sleep in his clothes again. Rocket came over a bit unsure. He sat on the edge of the bed and Rocket helped pull Kai's shirt over his head. As he went to walk off Kai cleared his throat. No way Kai could get the brace off his leg alone, just leaning forward really hurt. With a gulp Rocket came back over and started undoing the make shift restraint. As it dropped to the floor Kai kicked off his boots but felt a hand on his chest. Rocket pushed him back slowly onto the bed climbing on top of him. He slowly traced his paws down Kai's naked chest. Kai's heart was pounding. Rocket didn't know what he was doing but after everything Kai had said earlier he wasn't afraid of going there. He wasn't afraid of being rejected or humiliated he felt safe to actually do what he wanted for a change. His paws reached the waist band of Kai's trousers. The nimble fingers had them undone with only a bit of fumbling. Kai was on his elbows watching as Rocket looked up. Kai gave him a dreamy smile as he pulled his trousers off and dropped them on the floor seductively. With the sexiest smile Kai had ever seen, Rocket jumped back on top of him. Rockets tongue was exploring as deep as it could in Kai's mouth. This raw attraction was different to the drunken fun they had on Knowhere. It was more real and passionate with both of them vividly aware of each other and consciously giving into lust. Rocket wanted to go exploring down south but as he shifted his weight down toward Kai's hips he leant right on the deep wound still healing to the side of Kai's stomach. Kai let out a roar of pain and was left breathless. Rocket was worried, the colour had drained from Kai's face again, he kept apologising feeling like an idiot but Kai told him he was okay. It took a moment to get his breath back before Rocket helped him ease onto the bed properly. 

'So that kinda killed the mood.' Rocket was hovering beside the bed, playing with the fur on his arm feeling awkward. 'I'll go set up the couch I guess.' Kai managed to catch his hand before he walked off.

'Just get in the bed you idiot.' Kai said but Rocket looked unsure. 'Please?' Rocket couldn't resist so he stripped off to his boxers, very aware of Kai watching every moment, then climbed into the bed next to Kai. Kai reached over and stroked him all the way down his spine feeling the soft fur. Kai hooked his hand around Rockets stomach pulling him close, wrapping him up in his arms and gave him a kiss on the neck before saying. 'Thanks for today Rocky, it was perfect.' Rocket gave small sarcastic laugh. 'I mean it, hey look at me.' He turned around and laid face to face with Kai. 'Please talk to me.' Kai traces his fingers lightly down the side of Rocket's face. 

'I screwed it up at the last moment. It's not perfect.' Rocket was hating himself. Kai was disappointed sure but neither of them had done this before. Racing to the finish line didn't seem like it was all that important and Kai needed Rocket to know that. 

'You know we've got this place for more than just tonight right? And anyway I'm still kinda broken so there's no need to rush this.' There it was again, a raw lack of judgement that made his insecurities disappear. Rocket could feel himself melting and curled into Kai's embrace. Sure he wanted to get into Kai's boxers and the hard outline Rocket saw down there told him the feeling was mutual but Kai was right, it didn't have to be right now. Switching the lights out it didn't take much time at all before Kai drifted off feeling like life didn't get better than this. His guy wrapped up in his arms, breathing in his smell and loving the feeling of his fur up against his skin. Rocket let himself relax and watched him sleep for a bit. He wanted to remember this in as much detail as possible. For once he believed that maybe this could work. He made a habit of holding everyone at arms length and keeping his interactions limited, only ever taking temporary contracts with other people before he met Quill and Gamora. Now here he was cuddling with someone who wasn't scared to show their affection for him. Someone that didn't laugh at him or see him as anything less than an equal. Kai had swooped in and filled the void he had inside himself. Rocket never thought he would be allowed romance, I mean who would want him anyway? Apparently this guy did and he made silent promise not to ruin that for as long as Kai wanted him. He nuzzled into Kai's neck gently and stretched his arm around his chest, feeling his heart sing as it made space for the sleeping figure next to him. It seemed crazy to Rocket they had met so many years ago at their lowest points and yet here they were chasing their demons away together. It's easy to look to the future and see nothing but loneliness and despair sometimes but honestly none of us can see what tomorrow will bring. It takes a bit of courage to keep going each day and a little hope to keep dreams alive. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys hope you're still enjoying this. I know it's been a few more dialogue based chapters and dangerous levels of fluff but what can I say I love that stuff! More action will be coming and I've got plenty of material planned out. I will be returning to work in November so I'm doing my best to get ahead of the schedule so I can stick to releasing a chapter every Friday. Hope you're all well what ever part of the world your from and as always thank you for the continued hits and kudos.


	7. New Friends and Old

A sound in the distance, quite melodic and familiar but just out of reach in the darkness, played on. It was so comfortable here, there seemed little reason to leave. But that sound though, still playing, getting louder, demanding attention. As his eyes opened the light attacked Kai's eyes. The sound was still there oddly enough as he rubbed his face coming around to the waking world. It was a song he knew from the _Benatar_ , one of Quill's favourites. Rocket was singing. Kai looked at the furry guy working away on something and struggled to believe he was seeing and hearing reality. It was more of a mumbled humming but it was in tune and Kai recognised the song. Looking around the apartment Kai wondered how long he had been out. Everywhere he looked there were tools on the floor, oil spills. Rocket had evidently opened every box he brought from the ship and had converted their temporary living space into his new workshop. _Well at least it was nice for a day or two_ thought Kai as he flopped back down on the bed. This caught Rocket's attention with his ears flicking back to the sound. 

'Well good morning, he's finally awake. I was starting wonder if I needed to find your "on" button.' Rocket was chirpy and in high spirits. Kai was not a morning person, even if it was well past morning by this point, but when ever he woke up he was like a bear with a sore head. Staring at the ceiling in bed he gave a growl at Rocket's joke about him being a synth. 'Aww is someone still feeling broken?' Kai threw a pillow in his general direction. God he loved sleep. It was rare he had natural sleep too. His cybernetics were basically offline until he fixed himself so he wasn't under their control. Nothing but good old fashioned circadian rhythms since his injuries, the downside being the sleep hormones won't clear as fast as they normally would without the synthetic assistance. 

'Just shut up and get back in the bed. You'd make a great stuffed animal if you stop talking.' Having a careful stretch Kai was happy to feel his insides were sorting themselves out. The stretch felt satisfying instead of sending ripples of stabbing pains through his wounds. 'You don't know how hard it is waking up like a real person when you haven't done it in years.' Kai sat up grumpy as hell and grabbed the nebulizer from the bed side table. It was filled with a brightly coloured liquid, the last shot to speed up his recovery. Feeling a light sting as it injected into the crook of his elbow he was struck once more with the confliction of being bitter about his cybernetic enhancements and an appreciation for how convenient they could be. Stabbing himself with a nebulizer seemed like such a hassle but it wasn't exactly a joy being a half breed automaton either. 

'Good news for you then, Quill got this stuff. Apparently it's a big thing on your home planet. I kinda like this stuff too if I'm honest.' Kai cocked his head wondering what Rocket was on about. He saw the raccoon rooting through some boxes. The place was such a mess Kai guessed this might take a while. Instead of sitting around he grunted an acknowledgement at Rocket and headed to the bathroom. He leant on the wall as he walked, his leg still feeling sorry for itself. Looking in the mirror in the bathroom he concluded he looked a bit of state. It was shower time and man did he love the small things in life. As he dropped his underwear and went to get in a sudden sound came from the doorway.

'Jesus Kai! Close the damn door.' Rocket had a bag of something in his hands as they were doing a half arsed job of covering his field of vision.

'Don't act like you don't love the view handsome.' Kai said with a cocky smile on his face. He kept his back turned to Rocket as he spoke but looking over his shoulder Rocket was literally still standing there making less and less of an effort to not stare. Kai chuckled as he stepped into the shower. After a second or two he heard the bathroom door close as steam rose up misting on the glass door of the shower. 

Rocket closed the door. The feelings weren't exactly new that were radiating through his whole body right now but they were more intense than he had felt before. He thought back to the times when Drax or Peter might parade themselves and the various prisons Rocket had been in through the years, being in a locker room with naked people was nothing new. Those times meant nothing to him. Rocket guessed it must have been to do with the context. Quill and Drax were like family no way he would feel anything there, the concept was gross and as for being in prison he was always busy coming up with an escape plan, no time for thinking about other things. Seeing Kai like that though was almost enough to short circuit his brain altogether. He went about his task in a zombie like state, if a zombie had ever experienced euphoria that is. 

Still dripping wet, towel wrapped around his waist Kai stepped out of the bathroom and a heavenly aroma was everywhere in the room. His emotional reaction was enough to ignite his cybernetics, they fluttered to life before sparking back out. He knew this smell. He loved this smell.

'Where in the galaxy did you find coffee?' Rocket was sitting at the small table with a gleeful grin on his face clutching a mug with steam drifting off it. Even better there was another mug sitting opposite. 

'Quill picked this stuff up. To start with I didn't get why he was going on about a cup of warm mud but this stuff really grows on you. Anyway I hear it's good at chasing away the morning grumpiness of you Terrans.' Kai walked round the table with a slight limp placing his hands on Rocket's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. Electricity buzzed through Rocket's fur feeling the warmth coming from Kai's body and the revealing shape hiding under the white towel wrapped around his waist. At that moment in time Rocket felt like he had stolen the fastest fighter ship in the galaxy without the slightest idea of how to fly it. He was excited, nervous and terrified looking at Kai who was sipping on the hot drink across the table from him. Kai was coming across as the most confident guy on the planet right now but the truth was he was so groggy in the morning he didn't have the energy to give a damn. He was letting his base instincts take the wheel while the the world fell into place around him and his mind started to function again. 

'Nice singing by the way.' Kai said with the hint of a smile hiding at the corners of his mouth. 

'Don't know what you're talking about.' Rocket crossed his arms in full denial. 

'Ha! Don't give me that, I might hate mornings but if I have to wake up let's just say I'm not complaining.' Rocket loved Quill's music. He didn't openly admit it but he was usually humming away with his tail misbehaving by swishing along with the beat. He couldn't help it. As awkward as he found compliments Rocket was at least glad he wouldn't have to worry about filtering his existence if Kai did decide to stick around. _Of course he will, quit that stupid crap right now!_ Rocket berated his brain for trying to throw out it's usual coping mechanism of everyone leaving sooner or later. It was going to be different this time. 

'So I'm gonna head out for a bit. I need to get some parts for my cybernetics, there's an old friend of mine on the city outskirts that should have what I need.' Looking at the time Kai cursed. 'I should really get a move on, didn't realise it was so late.' Rocket was a bit deflated by this. I mean he didn't want to follow Kai around like a lap dog, he wasn't Mantis for goodness sake, but he felt a bit put out that Kai didn't offer out an invitation. In Kai's defence this was not intentional, he assumed that Rocket was busy doing stuff, he'd actually like company. Kai grabbed some clothes and got dressed. As he walked back in to finish his coffee Rocket was surprised at his appearance. Kai had opted for his operations gear. Light tough materials that hugged his shape and provided the movement range for acrobatics. He looked so gruff with the tactical gear on. 'What?' Kai asked Rocket as he was staring.

'Nothing you just look like you're going on a mission not seeing an "old friend" is all.' Rocket shrugged and turned his back pretending to be focused on his work. Kai looked down at himself. Maybe the tactical jacket wasn't needed. He was more comfortable with the thick armour padding and it's high collar. Reluctantly he unclipped the vest and let it drop to the floor with a thud. With his leg still complaining the lighter he travelled the better anyway. Now dressed in his boots, combats and a plain black t-shirt he did look a bit less like a hired weapon. Rocket looked over his shoulder hearing the heavy vest hit the floor. He smiled seeing Kai actually took his advice on board. 

'Guess I'll see you later then?' Kai said as he thought about leaving. He wanted to hug Rocket, kiss him, do something. Simply leaving didn't feel right but it was a new and strange feeling. Rocket stood still focusing on his work desperately hoping Kai wasn't going to leave without some kind of gesture. To describe them as hopeless would be accurate. Strange territory and no map to guide them. Kai lingered a moment or two longer before heading out the door. The second the door closed Rocket turned and let his shoulders sag. Normally if he wanted something he would go and get it but this was different. He was trying so hard, he had made coffee after all what more did Kai want from him? Looking out the huge window he looked into the sky and wondered what the other guardians were up to. It had been over a day and he hadn't heard anything from them. He was starting to worry. The truth was this was normal. No news was good news, that was the rule with their rag tag team. With a long sigh he turned back to his work and let himself get lost in it. It was his best escape from troubling thoughts. 

\------

Kai got out of the transport vehicle with a grunt. He was forcing himself to walk normally and resisted the urge to hold a hand on the wound on the side of his abdomen. He was known around these parts or at least he used to be. His reputation proceeded him and he was not about to show weakness. Various arms dealers and the less legitimate businesses operated in this area. After leaving the Nova Corps' secret Project division he no longer had full access to their weapons, technology or medical wares unless he was being hired independently by them and even then the access was limited compared to the full clearance he was used to. Kai was quickly forced to begin turning a blind eye to the less legal activities on Xandar as they were now his only means of acquiring quality equipment and services. Initially no one would trust him but after getting a few jobs in the district he demanded payment in services and gear instead of units. That's when he started making a few friends. Well only one of them he actually considered a friend the rest simply liked having an imposing guard dog hanging around so they treated him well. Kai didn't mind that much though. After a time he decided to start looking for work off world instead. He didn't want to attract the attention of the Nova Corps. Getting a criminal record would have been such a slap in the face to all of the people that had helped him find himself. He couldn't do that. Sure there were plenty of people in the Corps that wouldn't accept him, some were plain unkind to him for no reason other than what had been done to him. The others though, the kind one's that would give him extra snacks, ask him how he was doing and even the instructors that gave him a bit more attention so he would have the skills to stay alive, they were the best of people and he couldn't bear the thought of ending up being processed as someone dangerous to society. He had such a strong loyalty to the Corps and the Nova empire and he knew that was going to stick with him for life. 

Kai strode down the street with what he hoped looked like confidence. The Synth Shop was tucked away down an alley not far. A few familiar faces stuck their heads out as a murmur went though the little cluster of homes and businesses that the Shadow was back in town. As he was nearing the end of the street he really wished he had worn that armoured vest. Not that the people knew it but without fixing his relays and with one of his processors out his interface device wouldn't alert him of any dangers present before he was already under attack. Kai inwardly cursed himself for being so fearful. He was still a warrior. He pushed down his worries and walked on head held high as a female xandarian and her small daughter came walking out the alley he was aiming for. They were clearly in a hurry and almost walked straight into the black clad hired muscle. Kai went to give a smile and step aside but the woman's face drained of colour as she pulled her daughter close to her. She mumbled an apology and walked around Kai giving a wide berth and hurried off even faster. Kai didn't even bother saying anything. Women and children were scared of him. For the first time that really got to him, what kind of reputation had he built up here? His head dropped back down and he limped toward the shop front feeling ashamed. He wasn't a bad guy at heart he had just been made to survive in a world that was full of grey areas. He simply had to make a living and he was only good at a limited number of things and he was more likely to be hired for the expensive jobs if people were afraid of even whispering about him in bars and back alleys. He thought about the Guardians and hoped he could learn enough from them to get away from his shady reputation and maybe start doing some good for this planet. _That damn Raccoon is making me soft_ Kai thought and despite his best efforts his heart filled with joy at the thought even if his brain desperately wanted to be angry. 

Walking into the shop Kai called out as he walked through the heavy metal racks full of different devices and wares. The place was a bit neglected it seemed. Business must not have been so good of late. It had been a long time since he had been here but it still smelled the same. Kai had used this place as a base for a while. He had fond memories here. 

'Who's there?' an old annoyed voice echoed from out back in the workshop. Kai smiled hearing his friend's voice. An old man shuffled to the front desk wiping his glasses and muttering as he walked. 

'Hey Viktor good to see you.' Kai flashed a big smile as he spoke to the little old man wearing a messy apron and ragged clothes. Viktor stared in disbelief for brief moment before coming to life. 

'My boy it's so good to see you!' Viktor's attitude changed in a moment as he recognised Kai. Hurrying around the counter he clapped Kai on the back before stepping back to look him up and down. 'Well I must say boy you've got some miles on that face of yours these days!' A whimsical chuckle escaping as he spoke. He was a tough guy even if he was getting on a bit. He had developed a soft spot for Kai akin to a grandchild now that he was reaching his twilight years. 

'Gee thanks, you're looking old as hell too since you mentioned it.' The air was light and friendly despite how dark and depressing the shop looked overall. 

'Well even so I'm pleased to see you. What brings you all the way out here? Thought you worked off world these days.'

'Mostly I do but Irani has got me working an important assignment and I got pretty messed up, best to keep that between us though.' Kai knew Viktor had no reason to take advantage of the situation, he was simply embarrassed to be turning up out of the blue in such a state. He didn't want Viktor to be worrying about him. 

'Working with the Nova again? Must be important if you're putting that uniform on again.' A quizzical look dominated his face as he tried to make sense of the situation. Kai had turned his back on the order and Viktor could never imagine him undoing endless years of work toward independence from the Corps unless it was something big.

'Well I'm not working with the Corps directly exactly. I'm actually riding with the Guardians of the Galaxy on this assignment.' As the words left Kai's mouth Viktor's jaw hit the floor. The Guardians were well known throughout the quadrant and further. Not everyone loved them, they had plenty of enemies, but for someone like Kai who prided himself on covert operations when not working as a tech specialist to be teaming up with such high profile characters was a real shock. 

'My boy I think you have a lot of explaining to do. Let's go out the back and tell me everything, I'll shut the shop for a bit. Ain't no walk in customers for a place like this these days anyway.' Locking the front door the pair went into the back of the shop and Kai brought him up to speed on what they were working on. There was an obvious risk to telling this to his old friend but Kai was harbouring a slight hope Viktor might know something that could help. It was a long shot and really Kai was only justifying catching up. Kai told him everything. Everything except for his new found feelings for Rocket. He wasn't ready to be advertising that to everyone. 

'So here I am and in need of new parts if you've got some around?' Kai finished his version of events. Viktor mostly sat and listened only interrupting when he needed to. He asked Kai to take his top off so he could get to the the broken processor, destroyed with the wound on the side of his stomach. Picking up a tool and adjusting his glasses he removed the metal plate embedded in Kai's skin. Looking down Kai felt the bitterness rise up in himself. It hit him hard seeing himself with a panel removed, how could you feel human looking at that? 

'Yeah there's no salvaging that I'm afraid. Luckily I've still got a few of these around for exactly this scenario. I was starting to think it was a waste of units, you never been hurt like this before now.' Kai could feel the accusation that he had left out some key details in his story telling. 

'Guess I must be slowing down in my old age.' Kai gave a nervous laugh that wasn't convincing anyone. Viktor stood back and gave Kai a hard stare, he didn't say a word, just let Kai sit there sweating. Looking down and cursing Kai knew he wasn't dodging this. 'I was protecting... someone.' Kai looked up sheepishly but Viktor crossed his arms and waited. 'Someone special okay? I don't really understand it all. I didn't even know my cybernetics would ever protect someone else over me. He was going to get hurt and before I knew it I was taking the full hit instead.' Kai was crest fallen. He stared at the ground waiting to be told to get out and never return, to be yelled at, spat on, something.

'Humph. He? Never pegged you for that. Must really be someone to get you this messed up.' Viktor turned and walked to the store room. Kai stared after him dumb founded. No reaction at all. Nothing. As he sat there in a daze at the old man's easy acceptance of what Kai would have thought was a big damned deal he heard Viktor call him to follow. Shaking his head and feeling a big warm smile spreading across his face Kai followed. 'Right this is probably the best match for what you were sporting before but you might want to tweak it before installing.' Sure enough the part was in mint condition even if it had been sitting around for a while collecting dust. 'And these should be what you're after to patch up the relays you mentioned. This stuff is probably a bit better than what you've been making do with.' Kai was offended by that, he only used the best materials he could get his hands on when it came to working on his synthetic side. They wandered back through to the front desk after reattaching his metal panel and Kai transferred the units. Kai slung his pack on his back with the parts in it. They didn't weigh too much luckily. Viktor walked Kai to the front of the shop but paused before unlocking the door. 'Kai I'm an old man. I've seen plenty and lived a life without too many regrets keeping me up at night. One of my biggest regrets is not having a family to call my own because I was always too busy with this and that. My point is you're probably the closest thing I have to family. I might be rough around the edges but I love you and nothing is gonna change that.' Those words cut straight through Kai. Viktor had always been kind in a round about sort of way but things were kept mostly professional between them. He realised at that moment he had taken his old friend for granted. 

'Thanks Viktor.' Kai managed to get the words out despite the lump in his throat. He gave Kai's shoulder a squeeze before shuffling off amongst the shelving units. Kai was confused since the door was still locked. Maybe the years were taking away the old guys sensibilities after all. He returned moments later carrying two very nice looking items.

'Don't think I didn't notice you limping all around this place either. I don't imagine you'll be jumping around with your flashy fighting moves anytime soon so take these.' Viktor handed Kai a pair of chunky laser pistols, or small cannons depending on your personal perspective on things. Their robust design and boxy appearance really appealed to Kai but taking them in his hands he was pleasantly surprised by the smooth ergonomic hand grips. They felt perfect in his hands and a devilish grin on Kai's face told Viktor his presents were very well received. Kai was an expert at covert operations and lethal at melee combat when ever it was called for. As part of the Nova Corps training though he had been through extensive ranged weapon training. This was not to say he was overly talented at ranged combat but he was certainly proficient enough to hold his own. 'Now they do have a bit of a kick to them, might wanna take them for a test run before rushing into anything.' Kai didn't listen to a word Viktor just said. 

'They're so damn cool! Thanks Viktor. What do you want for them?' Kai couldn't stop staring at them. He was happy to throw as many units away as needed to keep them.

'No charge for those, consider them a couple of new friends from an old one.' Viktor chuckled to himself as he unlocked the shop front. Kai strapped them to the back of his belt below his back pack. As he went to step out the door Kai paused. On a whim he leaned down and hugged Viktor before heading out. _Yup that felt right, guess I am changing_ Kai thought. 'When this is all over I expect you to come back and tell me all about it! And you bring that guy too you hear me?!' Viktor called after Kai.

'You can count on it!' Kai called back, smiling all over his face, embarrassed and touched at the same time. Maybe he wasn't so alone in this galaxy after all. 

\-----

Stepping off the transport a short walk from the apartment Kai had spent the whole journey reflecting on his time with Viktor. The heavens had opened with heavy rain but Kai didn't even give it a second thought as the water soaked through his clothes. He was coming to the realisation that he wasn't the same person that he was last time they saw each other. Viktor had changed too. Time has a funny way of doing that. One day you look in the mirror and it's the same face looking back but inside rough edges get smoothed over if you let them. Life doesn't always work out that way and Kai realised he had Rocket to thank. He was the reason he walked away from a life of ruthless law enforcement for the Nova Corps and now he was changing again. Perhaps change was the wrong word, Kai felt maybe he was finally becoming the person he used to be before everything was taken from him. What was it about this rude, funny, furry guy that seemed to rearrange the stars of fate for Kai. Little did he know the effect was mutual. They were both less cynical about the world for having met each other all those years ago. The universe had clearly decided that the work wasn't done yet and brought them back together. Kai looked up realising he had been standing in the rain for a while now outside the apartment. The water was dripping down his face. He opened the door and stepped in.

'Hey.' Rocket called over his shoulder pretending to still be busy at work. He actually wanted to make a bigger deal of Kai getting back. He'd been looking at the rain lashing down and felt bad that Kai was probably getting drenched but he wasn't going to show it. Kai put his pack down by the door and walked up to Rocket. He was soaking wet but didn't care. He crouched down, ignoring his injuries as they protested and put his arms around Rocket from behind. Kai pulled him close and buried his face in his furry neck. 'Hey you're getting me all wet.' Rocket didn't pull away though, he put one paw around Kai's neck and pulled his arms tighter around him with his other paw. 

'I don't care, I don't wanna do this anymore. I don't wanna walk out with out saying anything. I don't want to feel awkward about telling you how much you mean to me. I don't want to play games.' Kai's voice was muffled by Rockets fur but every word found it's target. 'What do you think? That sound good to you?' Rocket thought back to stealing batteries he didn't need. He thought about Groot's sacrifice. He thought about Yondu and his redemption. Then he turned to face Kai and thought about everything he was being offered. His fear rose up and bared it's teeth telling him everything he was risking, how vulnerable he was feeling right now. But the hard set face and determined eyes staring back at him had a strength to them that couldn't be denied. 

'Why are you doing this? Why me? I don't get it.' Rocket asked.

'Look I'm not perfect but you make me better, you always have. I don't think there's a better reason to be with someone.'

'What you some love expert all of a sudden?' _LOVE?! Aww man that came out wrong_ Rocket froze on the spot. I mean sure he didn't say he loved Kai, he didn't say Kai loved him either but he had thrown the word into a very new relationship.

'No I'm not a... an expert at this stuff. I mean that's how I'm feeling anyway.' Kai gave a shiver from being wet to his skin. Neither of them knew what to say. It was too early to be thinking about such deep feelings. Instead Rocket stepped close to Kai and started pulling his t-shirt up. 'Hey what are you doing?' Kai Asked. 

'Getting you out these clothes. I kinda like this whole being nice thing we got going on so it'd be a shame if you got sick. Dead people aren't so good at being around when you need 'em, or talking or anything really.' Kai chuckled and helped Rocket with the T-shirt. Wandering over the the couch Kai pulled his boots off but getting his trousers off was a bit awkward. Rocket was hovering pretending to be tidying away a few things but really he was waiting to jump in on the action. Seeing his cue he was there in a flash. Throwing the trousers behind him Rocket slide his hands up Kai's thighs and behind his hips. Stepping close he pulled Kai forward until they were touching each other. Sitting on the edge of the couch they were on even footing and Kai ran his fingers through the fur on Rocket's cheek as he leaned in. Rocket was back to looking scruffy with oil stains smeared on his white fur patches, his overalls equally stained from his days work. As they kissed Kai could feel Rocket's paws sliding round the waist band of his boxers. He opened his eyes to see a look on Rocket's face that said _Is this okay?_

'Hell yeah.' Kai said with a cocky smile. The paws reached the bulge hiding under the thin fabric and gently traced the hard shaft. Kai shuddered as he pulled Rocket in for a deep kiss. Rocket's heart was pounding so hard he was sure Kai would be able to hear it. He gripped Kai's member and started sliding his paws up and down and as his fingers reached the tip there was a warm wetness soaking into the material. He couldn't take it anymore, that was the last straw holding back his lust. Kai was leaking for him and he had barely done anything yet. Pulling back from the kiss Rocket slide his paws into the waist band.

'I think you need to lie down for this.' Rocket's voice was low and full of lust. Kai didn't argue, he slid back onto the couch as Rocket started pulling his boxers off. It's true what they say, team work makes the dream work. Rocket was mesmerised as the boxers came lower and lower, he was practically drooling with anticipation. A loud bleeding sound cut through the air at that moment. 'You did lock the door right?' Both of their eyes went wide with fear as the front door started to slide open with a hiss. Rocket dived for Kai's trousers and threw them at him before running at the door but it was too late. Kai managed to tuck himself back into his boxers but barely had one leg in his trousers as the rest of the Guardians rushed into the apartment out of the torrential rain. Rocket skidded to a stop like a deer in head lights.

'Yo guys we're baaaaackkkk... oh... my... lord...' Peter stopped dead taking in the scene before him, mouth open wide in a shocked and thoroughly amused smile. Gamora bumped into him from behind and let her jaw drop as she too realised what they had walked in on. 

'WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING?!?!' Rocket roared at them, mostly out of embarrassment but he had a point. 'Geez would you at least get Groot out of here, come on man he shouldn't be seeing this.' Rocket covered his face as Groot peered around Mantis. 

'Great, that's just great. Well I'll go get dressed then.' Kai gave up on the drenched trousers and grabbed some fresh clothes with as much dignity as he could before locking himself in the bathroom. Rocket understood he needed to cover up but was still mortified to have to deal with the situation alone. He looked at the faces of his friends and didn't know where to begin. Unable to read the room as always Drax asked what was going on. Peter, more than happy to fill him in, joined the big guy in thunderous yet triumphant laughter.

'You must tell me everything my small furry friend, spare no detail of your strange coupling, this is a joyous occasion!' Drax clapped Rocket on the back and took a seat at the table genuinely expecting a blow by blow account. 

'Nothing happened! There ain't nothing tell.' Rocket blurted desperately. Not that anyone believed a word of it. Kai could hear the commotion and playful banter coming from the guardians. He felt bad as he knew Rocket was floundering and completely at their mercy but he had no intention of going out there any time soon. At least the sudden intrusion was enough to kill the hard on in his boxers. Looking in the mirror he sighed. They were so close, why did life always have to be so damn unfair? 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this one I really had a fun time writing it, thanks again for the support. I'm excited for next weeks chapter already, very tempted to post early but I will be returning to my full time job in two weeks so I'm doing my best to get some chapters ready to post well ahead of time. Catch you next time! =^_^=


	8. His Own Tormentor

Rocket eyed Groot feeling a bit guilty for reasons he couldn't put his finger on. The laughter and joking had died down a bit as Kai came out of the bathroom now fully clothed and with the stony face of someone experiencing deep awkwardness. Rocket generally never felt guilty. If he was doing something it was more often than not for personal gain and he was unsympathetic to anyone who missed out because of it. They were collateral damage that he would shrug his shoulders to. Groot seemed to be tinged with a sad confusion about what they had walked in on. He didn't have the emotional maturity to accept that Rocket should have a right to follow and pursue something that made him happy. He was living in an uncertain state of mind and worried that this new rough character that had joined their group was going to take away his most favourite person. Kai and Groot briefly made eye contact, Groot looked down with a frown and then without warning pushed his chair out and ran for the door. The rain was still coming down as Groot left the apartment. Rocket called after him and scrambled toward the door dashing out and after him. 

'Shit.' Kai said knowing this was because of him. As the door closed all eyes were on him. The gravity of the situation weighed down on him like an entire ocean. The moment stretched on as Drax approached Kai. 

'You are a man of strange tastes but a warrior that has earned my respect Shadow Kai.' Drax said placing a hand on his shoulder, the strength of the big man easily evident. 

'That's not really my name but go on.' Kai said, brow furrowed and wondering where this was going. 

'If you have chosen to pair with our friend and become a part of this family you should be following them out of the door. If you do not then I will pull your metal innards out for the world to see their cowardly nature.' His hand gripped Kai's shoulder with more pressure and looking into Drax's eyes Kai could see a fierce loyalty burning there that meant he was not in anyway joking. Kai stopped pondering whether he should have followed Rocket or not and simply hit the access panel taking a deep breath as he jogged out into the rain. 'I believe this will be a most wholesome reunion.' Drax went to head to the door to bear witness as Gamora stepped in front of him. 

'No you oaf, you can start packing up this mess. We need to get back to the ship, we are still on a mission.' Disappointed he listened to Gamora and they started collecting up Rocket's make shift work shop. 

'I mean for once the advice was on point though, you probably didn't have to threaten to murder the guy but heart's in the right place big guy!' Quill said with a reassuring smile.

'I do not make threats, I make promises.' Drax replied shifting a heavy box onto the table with a thud both to punctuate his point and out of grumpiness that he couldn't impose on the scene unfolding beyond the apartment. 

\-----

Rocket had lost sight of Groot as he ran toward a familiar part of the retail sector. Sick with worry he rushed up the stairs to a walkway and leaned over the railing looking out over the soaked and empty space. 

'Groot!?' Rocket yelled, worry painted on all of his features. As he stared out he saw him. Sitting on the edge of a fountain, leant over getting wet. Desperate not to lose him again he dashed back down and over to Groot. 'What are you doing? You can't run off like that!' Rocket was trying to sound firm and parental but every syllable was laced with concern. Groot raised his head looking angry and hurt.

'I am Groot!' He replied. The accusation was harsh and full of pain. It damn near broke Rocket's heart. His shoulders slumped and he walked over to sit next to Groot.

'You know I would never leave you bud.' Rocket's voice sounded rough and sad. Truthfully he hadn't thought about the effect this would have on Groot. Everything had happened so fast he didn't mean to be selfish but he had forgotten about Groot. He was excited to be experiencing something new, something fun. In the mess of it all he had over looked involving Groot. 

'I am Groot.' Groot wouldn't look at his furry paternal figure. 

'It's not like that. Someone had to stay behind and Kai did save me, I owed him one. It was Quill's idea actually, blame him.' Trying to lighten the mood wasn't going to work yet. With an exasperated sigh Rocket continued. 'Look he makes me happy Groot, in a different way to how you make me happy. That doesn't mean I'm not going to be around for you and if he ever tried to change that I'd space him myself. You come first and nothing will change that. You hear me? Nothing.' Noticing a softening of Groot posture and the slightest of smiles Rocket stood up on the stone edge of the fountain and put his arms round Groot. 'Now will you quit being such a sap, I'm gonna catch my death out here.'

'I am Groot.'

'Well I know you like it but I ain't a plant.' As they started to get up they noticed a bulky figure dressed in black now soaking wet again. Groot looked at Kai and then at Rocket remembering that Rocket said this guy made Rocket happy. Still unsure how to deal with the situation but willing to make an effort Groot spoke to Kai.

'He said...' Rocket began.

'I know what he said.' Kai responded cutting Rocket off. One of the advantages of being a half human meant that languages weren't something you had to actively learn and with such a diverse range of species it served anyone with mental cybernetic enhancements very well to have languages translated or downloaded as soon as they were exposed to them. 'Look, Me and Rocket spoke about you over the last couple days. I know what he means to you and I'm not gonna get in the way of that. It's gonna be strange for a while but you want to know what I want? I want to get to know you both. I want things I didn't even think about a week ago. This is all new to me too so maybe you can help me figure things out too?' Groot smiled shyly but responded with an agreement. He liked the idea of spending time with this new guy and since he had Rocket's seal of approval maybe he didn't need to worry so much. 

'Alright that's great, one big happy frickin family standing around in the rain like idiots.' Kai laughed and grinned at Rocket's gruff assertion. They started walking back to the apartment and Kai was limping a bit from the run. He was happy he was able to keep up a pace though, he was almost mended. As the thought passed through his mind he felt something touch his upper back. Looking beside him Groot had noticed it too. It struck Kai how aware Groot was when he wanted to be. He was glad Rocket had had him around all this time. They were a perfect pair. Groot would be able to pick up on everything Rocket didn't say out loud and the raw truth of what Groot noticed was impossible to argue with as well. Groot also happened to be the perfect lean-on height for Kai and he supported Kai as he walked. It wasn't needed, kai could manage perfectly well on his own, he was a strong guy after all, but maybe Groot was trying to help Kai out like he had said so Kai accepted the shoulder to lean on happily. Rocket paused for a moment watching them walking ahead. His fur was wet to the skin but his heart felt so warm watching them he didn't even notice it. Shaking his head and running a hand between his ears he walked after them. He was the one who called them a family and in truth they were far from it but this moment felt like a pretty solid foundation to build on. He pushed the thought away, this wasn't something to over think, for once it was time to follow what felt right without asking too many questions. It wasn't a problem to solve or a plan to intricately design, this was something out of any of their control and simply had to figure itself out as they went. All that mattered was it felt right.

\-----

Walking back into the room Mantis clapped and squeaked with happiness seeing Groot and Kai in what looked like a half hug. Kai thanked Groot as they separated. Most of the mess in the apartment had been packed into boxes much to Rocket's annoyance. He was so particular about stuff and didn't like other people getting their paws on his various creations. He pottered around the room in a bit of a huff checking things and bossing Quill around. 

'Look Rocket it's going back to the ship anyway you can figure it out then.' Quill said as he continued to pile the stuff up by the door. With most of the work done already and the rain easing off they arranged for a transport to take the load back to the _Benatar_. There were a few bits of personal belongings left about the place and Mantis went to pick up the bag with Kai's new parts in it. He quickly swooped in and took it. 

'Thanks I wouldn't want to forget that.' Kai said with a sheepish smile trying to smooth over how he basically snatched the bag. Rocket passed by the two of them as boxes were being taken out to the transport, muttering away about what should go where and "be careful with that". Kai subconsciously watched Rocket. 

'You are full of happiness are you not? He brings you joy.' Mantis beamed at Kai. With a slight flush to his face Kai nodded. The guardians were such a welcoming group, the normal sorts that Kai would associate with were far it. It felt odd but in a good way. Kai went to grab a towel. It might feel wrong letting his guard down with other people around but if he was going to fit in here he knew that it had to happen. Catching Rocket's hand as he went striding past again Kai passed him the towel. 

'You're gonna catch cold if your not careful. I think they've got things covered we can sort through it all when we get back.' Kai was still holding Rocket's hand. With squeeze he let it go.

'Gonna take all day to sort through this.' Rocket grumbled as he ruffled the towel through his neck fur. 'Thanks though.' Kai winked at Rocket and went to grab the rest of his bits from the bed area. No one had gone near it after what they had walked in on. Rocket was kinda gutted they didn't have more time to themselves but Gamora had been right they needed to get up to speed and back on track with their assignment. The fun of the last few days had eclipsed the problem at hand. Thinking about it Rocket was sure he had allowed that to happen to avoid facing what was to come. The apartment suddenly seemed like a safe space to him and he was sad to be leaving. 

'You ready?' Kai asked from the doorway. _At least we're in this together_ thought Rocket as he followed Kai out to the transport. 

\-----

Gathered in the common area in the _Benatar_ , Quill recounted their experience on Knowhere. They searched the lab thoroughly but the place was abandoned. It was difficult to figure out what had been taken beyond the surgical device that they knew was being targeted as opportunists had flooded the place through the large hole blown in the floor outside the warehouse. It was ransacked and not a clue to be found. Even the bodies of the mutilated augmented creatures that had attacked them were gone. Whether they had been collected by the person they were after or not was impossible to tell. No one was wiling to talk to them about anything. It was a community formed on illegal activities and keeping quiet was a good way to keep your head on your shoulders if you were smart. Frustrating as it was they turned to talking about their next move. 

'I know it sucks guys but this was never gonna be easy. They don't hire the best in the galaxy for a cake walk do they?' Quill said trying to raise morale. 

'Why would anyone be hired to walk on cake?' Drax said. Face palming at this guys inability to grasp metaphors Quill continued.

'Okay Drax aside I think the next move would be to visit the bugs home world. I know it's a long shot but at this point it's the next logical step.' Quill pulled up the system on the holodisplay. 'Now Ra'zen is protected as we all know which means we tread carefully, we don't want to piss off our employers. I'm looking at you Rocket.' Rocket started expressing his offence at the accusation but got cut off by Kai standing up. The guardians turned to him and felt the thunder radiating off of him. 

'Why didn't any of you tell me.' Kai glanced around the room at the confused faces. 

'I told you everything we knew or at least I thought I did.' Rocket said after a pause scratching his head. It had been his job to bring Kai up to speed when he was out of the hospital unit. 

'You didn't tell me the name! The star system!' His jaw was clenched and his muscles tense all over. 

'It's not a big deal man, you know now what's the problem?' Rocket was a getting annoyed. 

'That star system is the hell hole the Nova picked me up from. They would have known that so why have you been hiding it from me?!' Kai shouted at them suddenly feeling very vulnerable. His flaring emotions jerked his synth systems into action sending an arc of pain through his whole body. Kai gritted his teeth and lost his balance falling to his knee. Mantis rushed to his side placing a hand on his shoulder. She soothed his anger replacing it with calm curiosity instead. He relaxed and turned to Mantis as she spoke. 

'We have not held any information from you on purpose Kai, this much I promise you.' Kai knew she could manipulate emotions but it still felt like truth. He felt stupid for getting so easily worked up. He mumbled an apology as Gamora cut in.

'What do you know of this system? And why would the Nova Corps not mention this, it doesn't make sense.' Something felt completely wrong here. 

'The asteroid belt in the system. The facility that... that did this to me was build on a large asteroid within that belt. It made it harder for the Corps to root them out. Maybe it's just coincidence and they didn't think it was worth mentioning but I still don't like it. After I've fixed my augments I'm going to speak with Irani about this. I don't like this and I won't proceed on this assignment until I have the full picture. I don't take risks that big and I don't believe in coincidences enough to let this slide.' Kai picked himself up and headed out of the room. He was sick of being broken and needed some answers. To get those answers he couldn't be weak. He knew too well there were members of the Corps that would love for him to meet a rough end but they would never openly attack him. Maybe this was their way of getting it done though. Omitting truths would look like incompetence not an active attempt on the safety of the mission. Maybe he was over thinking all of this. He got to Rocket's work shop with his parts and started searching about for the right tools. The place was a mess and he was making a fair amount of noise. Enough noise that he didn't notice Rocket walk in. 

'Hey! What ever you got going on you can't take it out on my stuff.' Rocket said crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. Kai put his hands on the edge of the work surface and closed his eyes. He was spiralling and without his systems online to bail him out he was losing the fight to control himself. He forced his eyes even tighter closed and tried to fight the storm inside himself as he felt Rockets hand on his. Opening his eyes and taking a breath he looked down at the brown paw lacing it's fingers between his, slowly forcing his hands to stop gripping so tightly and begin to relax. 'This has really got to you hasn't it?' Kai sat down resting back.

'I'm sorry for shouting at you before.' Rocket didn't care about being shouted at. Hell he would have done the same thing. 

'Forget about it. Let's just get you fixed up.' Rocket pulled him over to a make shift seat. 

'Look you don't have to, I can do this myself.' Kai protested from a place of insecurity. He didn't let anyone else work on him. Mostly he was worried about what Rocket would think. The kind of shame of being caught red handed or a scar you try to hide from the world.

'U-huh, I'm sure you can do this yourself. I'm still doing it for you though.' Having gathered the tools in seconds from random draws and places that must have made sense to Rocket but no one else, he grabbed the bag of parts as well and headed over to Kai. Seeing the worried look on Kai's face Rocket felt oddly powerful and couldn't help play to it a bit. 'So I'll just make a few adjustments to these before I plug 'em in okay?' Watching Kai's face turn a shade more pale Rocket burst into laughter. 'Can you imagine? I patch you up and suddenly you're left is right, right is left! Ahh that'd be so funny.' Wiping an imaginary tear from his eye Rocket stopped laughing and reached for the tool to remove the first panel on Kai. Kai held the tool firmly in place and locked eyes with Rocket.

'You mess with my systems I'm gonna bleach your fur while you sleep, then we'll see whose laughing.' After a few seconds they both laughed it off and got to business. For a change Rocket actually had no intention of messing with this person's augments. Everyone else in the universe was fair game and great fun to mess with. Kai tried to look ahead as he felt his first panel being removed. Rocket started humming and Kai couldn't help looking down. Rocket's paws were moving so fast but they had a careful dexterity to them. 

'So don't hook that processor up completely until...' Kai began.

'Until the relays are all replaced and it's been fully configured yeah yeah yeah. Not my first time humie.' Rocket didn't even skip a beat as he unhooked the broken unit and methodically rewired the new one. 

'You really are amazing' Kai said. It was enough to make Rocket pause for a moment to give a shrug that said _I know right?_ Reaching into the bag Rocket pulled out Kai's interface device. He was going to attach it to Kai's arm himself but thought it better if Kai did it, Rocket had noticed it sometimes hurt Kai and didn't want to be the cause of that. 

'Okay so where's the system map stored? Oh wait...' Kai didn't even have to answer Rocket he was already tapping his way through the files. The system showed clearly where the relays had been overloaded. 'Wait but there aren't access panels here.' Rocket frowned at the diagram. He didn't read things wrong often but this made no sense. He looked at Kai with a big question mark on his head. Kai looked down to the floor with a sad smile on his face. 

'Why do you think I have so many scars Rocky?' It was a bitter smile of someone who had suffered time and again and knew they would have to suffer an infinite number of times more. What was worse is that the injuries, Rocket was coming to understand, were self inflicted. The fresher scars were indeed all Kai's doing. The thick old scars that had been done without care or pride in their work were the remnants of the mad scientists that had turned him into a synth. The thin precise one's Rocket could clearly see mirrored the diagram of his internal systems. 

'Aww man... Kai I didn't know.' Rocket remembered their conversation and how Kai had said no one would want to do this to them self. Rocket had nightmares of what had been done to him. He could never forget them but he didn't know that Kai was still living his nightmare and even worse had become his own tormentor. 'Is there any other way?'

'Nah. I had to make a choice, either I carved out more of myself so the relays had their own access or I have to imbed them in my tissue and face the fact I have to cut into myself from time to time.' A haunted look in Kai's eyes was enough to explain why he was so emotionally unbalanced today. It never got easier. 'This was why I wanted to do this alone.' Rocket was stunned. The way he had dealt with his past was by pushing everyone away. Eventually some people had stuck despite his abrasive nature. That was the prison Rocket kept himself in. The cage Kai had been trapped in was almost the other side of the same coin. He had been forced to turn his attacks onto himself. 

'Wait here a minute and don't do anything okay?' Rocket dashed out the door.

Kai wasn't sure where he was going but he looked at the cutting tools around the workshop. God he hated this but it had to be done. Carefully he managed to get an lazercutter. He was fairly familiar with it and he had used worse before. With a deep breath he adjusted it's power level and depth to what he needed and double checked the diagram. He knew it like the back of his hand, he was just stalling, but it didn't hurt to be extra certain. Gritting his teeth he began to switch the hand held cutter on. 

'PUT THAT DOWN I TOLD YOU TO WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!' Shouting might not have been the best idea considering the dangerous tool Kai was holding. Rocket stormed over to him and ripped the device out of his hand.

'What is wrong with you?! This is a damn work shop not a surgical unit. I've told the rest of the idiots to keep out the way. We are finishing this up in the med bay.' Rocket said sounding exasperated.

Kai was confused. He didn't consider this type of thing to be worth the use of actual medical gear. In his early days after leaving the Nova Corps he couldn't afford the costs of medical services anyway so he made do.

'Look Kai I get that it's easy to let yourself believe your some kind of monster, some kind of thing. It took me a really long time to see it in myself. Everyone would call me names, like rodent or vermin. Point is you're not just spare parts okay, let me help.' Kai didn't say anything. He followed Rocket to the small medical bay on the ship.

Rocket had a couple of shots that would numb the area. It struck Kai as odd he had never thought to do that before. He became distracted by how they had first met in the opposite circumstances with Kai patching up Rocket. It seemed crazy to him that here they were with Rocket finally returning the favour. Kai laid back and let him swap out the couple parts. He barely felt a thing and kept his eyes on the ceiling the whole time. In no time the fine cuts had been sealed back up and all that was left was to bring the system back online. 

'Okay so I think we're good to go.' Rocket said happy with the work but relieved it was over. 

'Yeah go ahead and finish connecting the processor. I'll have to finish things up on the system.' Rocket finished off and sealed Kai's panel once again making him whole again. 

'So what you got to do in there?' Rocket asked looking at Kai skimming through lines of code on his Interface. 

'So when you have more advanced cybernetics like me you have to tell them how to behave. Now going with the base programs for these parts is fine if you wanna get hacked. By adjusting things inside and essentially leaving a digital signature in the code it makes it much harder for anyone else to mess with me if I'm incapacitated. If they switched out parts while I was unconscious for example my system would isolate the unit and prevent it interacting because it doesn't feel like a part of me to the rest of the system. It's not fool proof but it's better than nothing.'

'I'd get through it in no time.' Rocket said confidently.

'Hah! I'm sure you would but I'm honestly considered an expert at this now.' Kai was proud he had managed to get away from being a soldier for hire and into a tech specialist role. It earned less money but it was a lot safer. 

'So why did you call it a signature?' Rocket asked peering ever closer to the little screen. 

'Well you see this part?' Kai stopped the scrolling for a moment. 'This is a part I've added in right? I created that, so no other synth should have the same and what's more it changes itself in a pattern that's also unique to me. In theory it's completely random but the sequencing and rhythm has me written all over it. I've occasionally gotten my hand on other augments, don't ask how, but the military nuts and the dangerous one's all do the same thing. I can read it like a calling card and then if they're dumb enough to access an insecure network like a space port...' Kai stopped. He couldn't believe how long it had taken him to connect these dots. He had been way too distracted lately. He looked at Rocket who had the same expression on his face. The light bulb moment was exactly what they needed. 'Rocket I need a minute or two to finish up, go get the others.' With a devilish smile from the plan already forming in his head Rocket dashed off to grab the others. Kai was finally feeling like he was back in control of things. He was going to catch this scum that stupidly decided to operate in his part of the universe. He was also going to get to the bottom of what ever the Nova Corps were hiding. He didn't have all the answers yet but as his system roared back to life he knew it was just a matter of time. The final outcome was written in the stars themselves as far as he was concerned and flexing his cybernetics he almost felt sorry for anyone that decided to get in his way.

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank to a good friend who has been helping by letting me bounce ideas off her, figure out problems and get through writing blocks. I'm still very new to writing creatively and she has been a god send. 
> 
> As always hope you're enjoying reading this fanfic as much as I am writing it!


	9. Pitch Black

With some confusion and excitement the whole team had gathered on deck. Drax was mumbling some annoyance at being summoned and Gamora and Quill were muttering between themselves as Rocket paced, waiting for Kai to arrive. Rocket's mind was racing with the implications of what Kai had revealed. Since the mission start he had felt like they were chasing phantoms with a constant air of foreboding hanging in the distance. The connections with his past had left him uneasy but now it finally felt like he was taking the reigns again. A logical path had formed in front of them. Looking up he saw Kai walking on deck. His limp was gone and his aura was restored too. Rocket appreciated the hard set determination on his face and the glint of action in his eyes. They mirrored a slight smirk at one another as their eyes met, this was a feel good moment for the two of them. 

'Alright quiet down ya idiots.' Rocket raised his voice enough to silence everyone as Kai walked up to stand at his side. 

'What's this all about Rocket?' Quill asked annoyed at being bossed around on his own ship. 

'Well as the brightest member of this little group I have out done myself once again and have a plan out of this mess you've led us into Quill.' Kai cleared his throat loudly looking down at Rocket. 'Ah okay he helped out too. A bit, not much, but hey you want to share in the glory...' Rocket trailed off quietly mumbling to himself. 

'Whilst Rocket and I were repairing my system it came to my attention we have a clear cut way of tracking who we're after. Advanced Cybernetics such as my own usually require a personal touch, a digital signature that protects me from outside interference.' Kai began before being interrupted by Quill.

'That's great but we don't even know where this guy is I'm not exactly worrying about identifying them on a personal level right now.' Peter crossed his arms behind his head leaning against the wall acting unimpressed by what he had heard. 

'See what I have to put up with around here?' Rocket said to Kai exasperated. 

'Yeah I'm starting to get the picture.' Kai took a deep breath before forging on with his plan. 'I believe the augmented creatures we encountered on Nowhere will have the hallmark of the person we're trying to find. The only way to check will be to get access to the severed head you guys brought with us.' 

'But Rocket argued for hours and over several days with the Nova Corps about investigating it himself and didn't get anywhere near it.' Gamora's point was valid but asking permission was not what Rocket had in mind. 

'Since when did we say anything about asking this time? We're breaking in this time and ain't no one getting in my way.' Rocket was full of deadly glee at the thought. He'd been playing nice for too long under the command of Star Lord. He was quite frankly ashamed at how goody goody he had to act all the time these days. Quill wasn't liking the sound of this one bit.

'Rocket no. We're not waging war on the damn Nova are you insane? Think about the credits man. We go in there guns blazing then the whole damn galaxy is gonna be hunting us down. Between the Ravagers, Kree fanatics and the Sovereign we already have enough people after our heads and you want to add the Nova Corps to the list?' Quill couldn't believe what he was hearing, it was madness. 

'Ain't a problem Star Munch we got a singer.' Rocket said with smugness. Kai cringed and looked down at Rocket. 'What?' He looked up at Kai confused. Glancing around the room Rocket began to squirm. 'What did I say?' Drax was by the far the most confused taking the mistake literally as always. 

'It's a ringer, we have a ringer.' Kai couldn't help chuckling a bit at the idea of him performing a ballad whilst dancing past the guards. 

'Well now I feel foolish.' Rocket hid his face under his paws as Kai continued. 

'Point is I worked at their HQ for a long time. It was my job to stay out of sight whilst I was a member of the Project division. With my knowledge of the building and security systems combined with Rocket's ability to hack near enough anything I'm confident we can get in and out without detection. Given the Nova seem to be hiding something from me I think it would be smart to try and gain as much information as possible before confronting them. It will just be me and Rocket, anymore and we would be drawing too much attention.' The room fell quiet as everyone contemplated the plan. There were no guarantees they would find what they were looking for but they were out of options. Travelling to Ra'zen and poking around was a long shot at best. 

'Quill we've been going at this a while now. I know you don't like it but I'm not seeing many options here. If we don't stop who ever has been collecting information and all the gear they need to create living nightmares who knows what will happen.' Rocket was trying his best to convince him without an argument for a change but Quill was still hesitating, he didn't like this.

'Look what if I get in contact with the Ravagers, Yondu might be gone but they might still give me information for a price...' Peter was grasping at straws and Rocket had had enough. 

'You don't get it do you?! I'm not standing around. Maybe if someone pulled you apart over and over again until you dreamt of not waking up anymore you'd get it but what do you know?' Rocket walked away from the group. His shallow tolerance for conversing was already done, Kai took Rocket's cue to leave as well, they were done selling this idea.

'He has a point. I respect this is your ship but I'm not under your command.' Kai looked Peter dead in the eye as he spoke before following Rocket to get suited up. 

'Fine go ahead then but if you mess up we won't be there to save you.' Peter didn't mean it, he was just feeling uncertain about everything. 

'Funny I seem to remember coming to your aid when I barely even knew you. Thought you guys were more honourable than that...' Kai didn't even break his stride as he called over his shoulder leaving the remaining five guardians feeling awkward. 

\-----

Rocket and Kai readied themselves in relative silence. Only a few reminders were given to Rocket to leave the more lethal weapons on the ship. They weren't on a mission to kill anyone tonight. Rocket was annoyed as he hadn't seen real action in a little while but accepted that explosives might not be the subtle solution to the problem at hand. Kai got the blueprints of the building and the specific access shafts they would be using. He also had some older schematics for the security systems. It was enough to give Rocket a heads up for what he would need to deal with but it wasn't needed in Rocket's opinion. Kai wouldn't let his arrogance get in the way of proper planning though. As darkness descended on the city and night gave them the shelter they needed they moved to the cargo bay of the ship. 

'So it's all set?' Kai asked checking his equipment one last time. His new weapons, strapped to each thigh, felt strange. He tightened their fastenings a bit and put on his armoured mask. It covered his lower jaw and nose sealing the area. It would allow him to speak in low tones without any noise escaping but the sound would be transmitted directly to Rocket's ear piece. 

'Yeah ready as we'll ever be. The engines are primed for a back fire.' Rocket had rigged the engines to perform a miss fire. It would be loud and create a fair amount of smoke. They hoped the sound and smokescreen would draw attention to the ship while they slipped out of the cargo hold and into the building. With the _Benatar_ docked at the HQ movement would be monitored closely but this wouldn't have been the first time Kai had gotten into the building unseen. This time though it wasn't simply a cheeky opportunity to stretch his legs, this was business. 'Gamora we're good to go, you in position?' Gamora agreed to play distraction with Mantis if Guards came to check on the ship following the engine malfunction. 

'In position Rocket, I hope you know what you're doing.' Her voice was tense but Rocket didn't care, he mimicked her mouth talking with his fingers and with a roll of his eyes activated the engine. A heavy roar violently shook the ship as the boosters came to life. Sure enough a high pitched whining noise kicked in and they failed in spectacular fashion. It almost sounded like an explosion and it rocked the ship hard enough to almost throw Rocket off balance.

'Alright! Let's do this!' Rocket declared, delighted with himself, and headed to the open panel in the cargo bay. Kai watched him go, under his mask there was a big smile on his face. He loved it when Rocket got all psychotic, what that said about him though Kai decided not to worry about at that precise moment in time. He dashed to the exit and dropped down. Landing softly he joined Rocket hiding behind the front support of the ship. Sure enough the guards on duty came rushing out, looked like some of the guards posted near enough to rush and get a look were there too. The night shift was boring as hell for them so they weren't going to pass up an opportunity for some excitement. The boarding ramp for the ship lowered and Gamora walked out confidently. As the pair heard her speaking with the guards in an unfamiliar and flattering tone they moved to the edge of the landing platform. Rocket was about to jump as Kai grabbed him and pulled him back. 

'What the hell?' Rocket harshly whispered to him.

'You can't use a damn aero-rig! Use your head!' Kai whispered back. The sound, the light, everything about it had nothing stealthy of the sort. 

'What do you suggest then?!' Rocket whispered back angrily to mask his embarrassment.

'You're getting on my back.' Rocket stared at Kai for a moment in disbelief.

'You've got to be kidding...' Smoke was still pouring out of the engines of the _Benatar_ so luckily the guards would barely be able to see them even if they knew to look. The plan was working well so far. Reluctantly Rocket climbed onto Kai's back. 

'Hold on tight and don't look down.' Before Rocket could reply Kai swung over the edge of the platform. His Augments were online and easily helped him traverse the climb. Rocket could feel the power and control in every movement as Kai moved gracefully along the underside of the platform. Once they reached the building's edge, holding on with one hand Kai tapped a few options on his interface device. That done he pushed off from the edge and let go. The two were in free fall and it took everything Rocket had to not cry out. Kai had said they needed to access a vent that was multiple levels down but that was why Rocket had brought the aero-rig with him. With Jaguar like prowess Kai twisted mid air and connected with the side of the building with his hands and feet gently. Their descent began to slow. Rocket had seen similar technology before, it was common for working on a ship in low gravity, but he had no idea Kai had equipment like that. This guy was full of surprises. They had over shot the vent by half a floor and a quiet 'Oops.' came through Rocket's ear piece. Kai could feel more than hear the growl from Rocket in response. He chuckled and effortlessly began climbing up. It was so hard for Rocket to stay focused holding on to Kai like this, with his paws gripping onto strong shoulders and the rhythmic motion of the climb his mind desperately wanted to stray other thoughts. He was pulled back to the task at hand as Kai spoke. 'Yo Rocky you're up.' Kai pulled them on top of the vent and Rocket climbed down from his back. The vent was, of course, security sealed. Pulling a device out of his pack Rocket got to work. Barely a minute later he gave the thumbs up. Security was offline. Quickly and efficiently Kai attached cables to the grate as Rocket cut through the bolts securing it to the vent. With grunt Kai took it's weight and pulled it up. It was a risk leaving it open but it was too heavy for Kai to replace it by himself after they had entered the vent. A particularly strong gust of wind might blow it off the top of the vent but it was a risk they had to take, Kai might be stronger than an average human but he had his limits. They had to take their chances that the cables would hold it in place while they were inside. Swinging down into the darkness they made their way into the headquarters. 

It was slow working their way through the ventilation system but eventually they made it to the access lounge leading to the underground facilities of the headquarters. Back tracking a little near an active fan they discussed their next move. 

'So that elevator is the best way down to the Project division.' Kai began.

'Dumb name by the way.' Rocket said double checking his pack. 

'What is?' Kai asked. 

'The "Project Division" I mean what does that even mean?' Rocket asked amused. 

'Oh what they should have called it the secret weapons and specialist assassin/agent division? Because that would make sense.' 

'Hmm... fair point.' Rocket conceded having a fairly common name might help keep a secret branch of their military more covert if the name was brought up in company not privy to such information. 

'As I was saying the elevator will take us right where we need to go. There is no surveillance in there but you need a specific key code to get in. The system will log who uses it and when, what floor they leave at etc. the lounge itself will have surveillance and a guard rotation.' Kai began wondering if this was such a good move.

'Heh you're making this too easy for me. Breaking out of prisons is usually my specialty, 23 so far by the way, but breaking in to places is altogether much, much easier.' Kai's worries disappeared at the conviction in Rocket's voice. Sure enough they moved back to the grate with a view of the lounge and the power went out leaving nothing but emergency lighting giving an ominous glow. '60 second window, this will look like a bad power change if anyone even notices it.' One cautionary check for guards and they dropped down and moved to the elevator. Pulling open the panel Rocket connected a few leads and the door came open. They slide inside and began descending further into the building. 

'Well no turning back now, strange this almost feels like returning home.' Kai said in a cheery voice. 

'With a home like this no wonder you got issues.' Rocket replied as he hooked his hacking device into the panel by the door. 

'The labs won't have anyone in them at this time of night but when they are left empty they have heavy duty security. It was one of the few places I never tried to get into while I was here.' Kai was serious, they had all sorts of things in the labs and all of it was kept under extremely advanced locks. Rocket mumbled a reply but was completely focused on the display in front of him. His fingers tapping away at an inhuman pace. A small bleep sounded with a reassuring green symbol. 

'Well the area WAS highly protected.' Unhooking the device and grinning at Kai, Rocket put the device away and slung the bag over his shoulder. The cocky confidence was infectious and Kai let his worry level drop a tiny bit. He was still on edge but the dynamic was working well for him considering he generally didn't like anyone else with him on these assignments. It must have been years since he had a partner on mission and that particular event did not go well. Kai pushed those thoughts aside as the elevator began to slow. They quit chatting and took up positions either side of the doors in the off chance anyone was on the other side waiting for them. As the door slid open Kai enhanced his hearing to scan the area. Rocket's hearing was acute enough to do it naturally but old habits die hard and Kai wasn't going to take his word for it. Convinced the area was clear they entered the labs. The floor was big and it would have been easy to get lost if you weren't careful. Stepping cautiously out they approached the nearest terminal. Moments later Rocket had located the severed head. They had expected it would have been moved to storage but it was still in the analysis lab. Immediately that told them they were right about the Nova hiding things. Why would you still have it in a main lab if you had found out it's clues already? Making their way down the long dark corridors they reached the glass wall of the lab and sure enough the head was positioned in the center of the room wired up and looked like it was still being worked on. Kai kept a watch as Rocket opened the lab door. A reassuring beep sounded and door released. wasting no time Rocket jumped into the seat in front of the computer hooked up to the grotesque insect like head. 

'Right gimme a moment and I'll rip their data.' Rocket began using his bag of tricks and his fingers were flying around the screens. 'Tell me again exactly what we're looking for here.'

'You need to get into the system files for the augmentation. You're looking for encryptions, some kind of security build into it's design. I don't need you to hack it, I need it intact so I can run it against the one's I already know or use it to trace them.' Kai stepped back as Rocket got to work. This was all so easy. This was too easy. He cast his mind back to living here. He couldn't believe it would be such a walk in the park to access this secure level. 'Rocket how easy would you say it was getting past security?' Kai asked, a fear growing inside him. 

'Ha! This place? Might be the easiest job I've done so far! Sorry man I know you like these guys for some reason but they are morons.' Rocket was so prideful he didn't question it at all. Kai pushed his cybernetics to a higher level. His eyes and ears were well beyond human. Calming his breathing he focused on the camera in the lab. Sure enough he could hear a slight hum running directly to it and then an almost inaudible whine as it's internal mechanisms moved. They were being watched.

'They let you in.' Kai relaxed his senses having found enough evidence that this was a trap. 

'What?' Rocket said with a snort. 

'The cameras are still active they let you past security. Hell there weren't even any guards on duty. God how could I be so stupid?!' Clearly they were being listened to as well as the moment Kai finished his sentence a solid clang could be heard from the lab door, it's heavy internal bolts locking shut. 

'Crap.' Rocket summed up the feeling in the room to perfection. 

'Remind me to call you an idiot if we get out of here in one piece.' Kai said as he pulled his guns out of their holsters. Pointing them at the lab door he pulled their triggers. He had completely forgotten the warning from Viktor about them having a bit of kick to them. The lab door buckled and Kai was thrown off balance into the wall. After shaking off the impact Kai was laughing.

'What the hell are you laughing at?!' Rocket roared as he continued trying to get the information they needed. Kai pulled himself to his feet.

'These things are friggin awesome!' Kai braced and blasted the door again and sure enough the heavy thing flew into the far wall in the corridor. 'Okay I'm gonna buy us some time, get that data. Think you can actually handle that?' Kai could hear boots coming, quite a few of them. 

'No fair I wanna shoot something!' Kai barely listened to Rocket's complaint as he dove into the corridor and flattened himself against the wall. There was just enough cover to hold them off. He didn't exactly want to hurt anyone but clearly someone wanted him out of the way. A few blue uniforms ran round the corner. _Idiots_ Kai thought. They ran round a corner knowing they were dealing with intruders. Kai fired a couple of shots at the ground in front of them. The impact was enough to knock them flying. Maybe those guns weren't ideal for this environment. The whole place was gonna come down at this rate. He fired a couple more shots to make sure no one got any stupid ideas then put one of the guns away. A quick investigation showed they were not simple point and shoot designs. Kai adjusted the power level and fired again. Still a nasty blast but more suitable for the situation. As he adjusted the second weapon Kai heard a voice. It was a familiar one. A particularly nasty superior officer from his time at the headquarters. This guy had always had it out for him. He was barking orders to the troops. 

'Rocket how we doing?' Kai asked becoming agitated and tense. 

'Not helping Kai!' Rocket barked back. Kai listened out for activity. The majority of the soldiers were at one end of the corridor but there were at least some in all directions it seemed. Things had gotten quiet again.

'Project Shadow! Yes I know who you are. This is a simple request, put your weapons down and surrender and you can spend the rest of your days rotting in a cell or you can keep up this hopeless charade and I will tear you apart piece by piece.' The voice was full of blood lust. The request was lip service to the troops listening in so he could argue he gave Kai the opportunity to resolve the situation without blood shed. 

'I would remember that petulant rage anywhere, been a while captain.' Kai was trying to buy time. 'See I'd love a stay at your sadistic hotel, I really would, except me and the boyfriend were gonna get dinner after this maybe catch a show...'

'SILENCE! Your arrogance will be the last thing keeping you company in this life. Advance!' Kai had struck the perfect nerve. The guy was so easy to play. Stepping out from the wall Kai pointed a gun in each direction and let off a flurry of blasts. The advancing soldiers were blown clear off their feet. 

'Probably not a smart idea to announce when you're men are advancing captain, not that I'm telling you how to do your job of course.' Kai chuckled as he heard more swearing and rage filling the corridor. 

'Alright we're good.' Rocket shouted over. Kai sent a couple of shots to cover himself as he leapt and forward rolled back into the lab. 

'Right I need you to cut the power to this whole level, including any back ups. I need pitch black darkness to stand a chance here.' Kai took a quick glance outside the lab and was rewarded with some shots glancing off the glass walls and door frame. 

'Why do you want it pitch black?' Rocket asked as he got straight to work. 

'You're about the find out why they call me Shadow.' Kai put his handguns back in their holsters. 'Hope you're not afraid of the dark Rocky.' With a crash the power cut on the level. It was just in time too as the soldiers had begun advancing again. Rocket stayed in place, his ears straining. There were confused mumbles coming from the soldiers and the captain was yelling insults and orders. The idiot had no clue he was giving away his location perfectly. As Rocket's ears twitched and listened he heard a gasp and a shocked intake of breath that cut off almost as soon as it began. Two thuds followed as their bodies hit the floor. Confusion and fear began to spread through the ranks. It felt like an age had passed but in a mere 30 seconds it seemed like half the soldiers were no longer responding. 

'Hey Rocket?' The whisper coming through the ear piece scared the life out of Rocket. 'You got anything unpleasant that could get rid of six people at once? Effective range needs to be enough to cover about four meters diameter.' Rocket had brought exactly something that would fulfil this need. It was an elemental grenade. Enough force to electrocute a group of morons without doing too much permanent damage. Terrifying as it was, the second Rocket had taken it out of a pouch and had it in his hand, Kai's hand was already there to take it. Rocket understood now. He hadn't made a single noise since the lights went out. He was silent as a Shadow. 'This is perfect.' Again the whisper came though the ear piece but Rocket had no idea how far or near Kai was. 'Okay when I give you the cue I want you to bring the lights back but try to keep everything else offline understand?' 

'Sure.' Rocket said as quietly as he could but to him it sounded like the loudest sound in the galaxy. Tensely he waited. All he could hear was more insults being yelled by the captain in the distance and his own breathing.

'What was that?!' Shrieked the captain.

'Lights on Rocket.' Kai said. Rocket's paw didn't hesitate, he hit the power back on. 

Kai was leaning against the wall behind the captain and the scattering of personnel that were still standing as the light came up. The captain spotted him and went to yell at his men to fire but the sound caught in his throat as he noticed the casual wave Kai was giving him. Wiggling his fingers, even with most of his face covered you could tell he was smiling from ear to ear by the creases around his eyes. 

'INSOLENT...!' Kai wouldn't find out the rest of the perfectly eloquent thought that was about the come forth from the captain's mouth. A blinding flash and thunderous bang echoed through the labs as the grenade send the whole group flying. Kai didn't waste any more time he raced back to the lab.

'Right we're leaving a different way. Stay behind me.'

'I don't need you protecting me, you're hoggin all the fun as it is!' Rocket objected. Kai sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. These guardians were so undisciplined.

'Stay behind me because you don't know where you are going and I do. By all means if we come across anyone shoot them.' At least having company made things more interesting on missions.

'Aww yeah!' Rocket pulled the laser cannon off his back and powered it up. Kai didn't hesitate he made for the door and started sprinting around corners and past labs and storage units. The occasional blaster shot might whiz past but the pair were moving too fast to be easy targets. Rounding another corner they came to what appeared to be a dead end. Rocket glanced around confused. Kai crouched and brought out a blade on his right forearm. Without hesitating he plunged it into the floor. There was an access hatch. Twisting his blade the hatch lifted, he wrenched it up and motioned for Rocket to go in. Kai slid in after and eased the hatch back down. With the power off on the level he hoped they wouldn't have been able to reset their surveillance fast enough to track them. 

\-----

After a while of crawling through ducts they emerged near a rear entrance to the HQ. The guards looked calm. Kai paused watching them for a few minutes listening into conversation. There was no buzz of activity, no hint of worry or higher alertness. Frowning he turned to Rocket removing his mask. 

'They don't know what happened in the labs. Communications should be back up by now.' Kai was thinking out loud. 

'Well no kidding moron they're using their comms alright.' Kai gave Rocket an angry glare but he wasn't wrong. 

'Something bigger is going on here. Rocket use the aero-rig to get back to the ship I don't think anyone is going to be concerned about it. I don't know why but I think those troops were acting under the orders of the captain without authorisation from above. I need to speak to Irani about this, I could be walking right back into a trap I know but if there's a coup going on I have to warn her.' Kai's mind was pinched. There was so much information buzzing around and he knew it all meant something but he felt like he was missing a crucial piece of a puzzle. If there was a plot going on here then he had just kicked up a hornets nest and they would be swarming right for Nova Prime at this very moment. By failing to capture Rocket and Kai they would no longer have the luxury of time. 

'Are you insane?! We should get the hell out of here.' Rocket protested.

'It's fine once you get to the ship you guys can take off, I can take care of myself.' Kai moved to the grate and went to remove it when he felt Rocket pulling his arm back. 

'I'm not going anywhere without you.' Rocket was such a complex guy. The mad sadist that desperately wanted to shoot something a handful of minutes earlier had been replaced with a soft puppy dog face with the biggest eyes you've ever seen. Kai realised he might never figure Rocket out completely but knew it would be one helluva ride trying to. Without warning he grabbed the front of Rocket's vest and pulled him into a kiss. Rocket was initially shocked but gave in without any complaints. 

'I'll be fine handsome. If you have to take off do it, but stay in orbit and I'll contact you if I'm in trouble, okay?' Rocket didn't like it much at all but honestly there was no room for negotiation here. Kai dropped from the grate and walked straight up to the guards. Rocket heard him explaining he needed to speak with Irani immediately. Something about an immediate threat. Rocket still found it weird when Kai went all militant talking. Hopping out of the vent Rocket engaged the booster on his aero-rig and shot back up to the _Benatar_ hoping that everything was as calm up there as it was down on the ground. Kai was ready to take out both guards in one motion if they raised their weapons at Rocket but Kai was right. They both looked up, a little startled, but neither raised their weapons. These men had no clue of what had gone down in the labs. The guards cleared Kai to enter and hurried with him to Nova Prime's main office and quarters. _What the hell kind of mess has this place become?_ Kai wondered to himself. Unity was the main credo of the Nova Corps, forged over more than a thousand years of fighting with the Kree and here they were falling apart at their very core. As the lift took them higher and higher Kai hoped this had nothing to do with Irani, his mentor, his saviour. He had no idea if he had the strength to go against her and desperately didn't want to find out for sure. The motion of the elevator began to slow. At least he wouldn't have to wait long to find out. 

\-----


	10. Lost and Alone

As the ground got further and further away Rocket couldn't help but feel like some part of him was attached to the ground. His insides ached and he hated the feeling. _What is wrong with me?!_ Rocket thought feeling annoyed as he soared higher, closing in on the landing pad where the _Benatar_ was. He effortlessly landed on the edge of the platform but his shoulders sagged. He allowed himself one look over his shoulder fighting the urge to go straight back down and finish this thing with Kai. He growled to himself baring his teeth and pushing his paws against his temples. He had never felt this conflicted before. Even when he had to leave Quill and Yondu on the planet Ego as it began to implode he knew he was doing the only thing that was right, getting himself off the planet with Groot. Yondu had told him to do it and he listened. It still hurt as he flew away knowing he would be losing a friend that day but there was no other option. But this? This wasn't even close to being on the same level as that dark day and besides he only met this half breed human not too long ago. He hated the fact that he was already attached with these invisible strings, he had gotten himself in deep already without even noticing. Rocket couldn't make sense of why he was struggling with this. He had done his job, what happened beyond that shouldn't matter to him. But here he was looking down at the ground wondering if he should be down there instead of up here. clenching his fists at his side he forced himself to turn away and walk toward the boarding ramp of the _Benatar_. Gamora was there having what seemed to be a quiet hissing match with Peter. 

'It was you who didn't want to go with them. You didn't even offer them support!' Gamora whispered in anger at Peter. 

'Me?! I don't remember you saying anything positive about their plan either!' Quill retorted but his anger was all fake and it showed. Concern was all over his face. 

'Aww were you guys worried about lil' ol' me?' Rocket sneered as he wandered past them and onto the _Benatar_. Peter's face went a bit red with embarrassment but he didn't say anything. Of course he was worried. He was worried things were going to go completely wrong. He was worried they were going to get into trouble and Rocket wouldn't even ask for help because of his stupid pride and Peter would spend the rest of life remembering the last thing he did with Rocket was argue. The sheer wave of relief was enough to take all the fight out of Quill. He was just glad Rocket was back in once piece. That feeling lasted only moments until he realised Rocket was very much alone. 

'Rocket? Where's Kai?' Quill called up the ramp before Rocket disappeared. Rocket paused and gave him a disbelieving look, Rocket wasn't a master of subtlety it had to be said but shouting that around was plain idiotic. 

'Not here numb nuts.' Rocket wasn't about the blab about their exploits on the platform, the guards had remained outside and were a small distance away. He still wasn't going to risk talking about it there though. There might be all kinds of politics at play right now and the element of surprise was crucial in these matters. Quill gave Gamora a concerned look to which she shrugged her shoulders and motioned for them to follow Rocket. The air was tense but the way Rocket was acting it didn't seem like they needed to rush to the controls and take off before they got blown to pieces. The pair of them still felt uneasy and the sooner Rocket filled them in the better. 

\-----

Rocket was unloading his gear in the store as Gamora and Quill caught up with him. Mantis had sensed the tension and tagged along too. Rocket didn't even acknowledge them standing there expectantly as he continued to store his laser cannon and gadgets away. 

'Rocket come on man! What the hell happened? Why are you here and Kai isn't?' Quill eventually asked out of impatience. 

'And what do you care?!' Rocket slammed the locker door to emphasise his point. Gamora took a few steps forward and took over. 

'Rocket if he is in trouble we need to help him.' She gave Rocket a meaningful look that showed she was prepared to fight and it wasn't a bluff. 

'He's fine... or at least I think he is. Urgh!' Rocket punched the locker and immediately regretted it, his paw pulsed with pain, but it was still preferable to feeling this weird sense of worry. Gamora placed a hand on his shoulder and for once Rocket didn't try to throw her off or bite. 

'Tell us what happened.' She asked again. Rocket filled them in on their mission. He got embarrassed and mad when he admitted they fooled him by making the hacks into the security too easy, trapping them in the lower levels of the headquarters. 

'We got out but then Kai went all Nova Corps lackey boy and insisted he report in to the chick at the head of this operation. Seems like they might be starting a civil war or something I dunno.' Rocket didn't get the loyalty to that old bat. Sure she had done right by the Guardians in the past and she wasn't all bad but right now he felt like they should be jumping to another part of the quadrant with the information and come back once everything had sorted itself out. It wasn't their fight. Why did Kai have to suddenly go all noble.

'Why didn't you go with him?' Peter was projecting his guilt from earlier onto Rocket. Rocket wasn't having any of it though. He held up a data storage device his paw. 

'This is why. We got what we came for and if I went along with him and we lose this it was all for nothing. I managed to rip all the data we needed from the augmented head hooked up to their systems and I also ripped all the data they had been accessing from the same terminal. There's gonna be quite a bit to go through but this is what we came for.' Peter came striding forward with a smile on his face and reached for the storage unit. 'BACK OFF QUILL!' Rocket warned him.

'Hey whoa! Chill man that's what you went for so let's get to it and figure out what they were hiding.' Peter was confused at Rocket's hesitation and protective attitude. 

'Not without Kai! It was me and him that got this so we're not doing anything till he's back, got it?!' Rocket was deadly serious. He was feeling so worried about not being by Kai's side right now that he needed to feel like he was defending him in another way. With a defiant look at the trio watching he shoved the unit into a pouch on his suit and stormed out of the room. 

'He's being stupid.' Peter said exasperated. 

'He's just worried, leave him be.' Gamora reassured Quill taking his hand. Damnit she had such a direct line to his sense of calm. He couldn't argue when she acted like this. Quill's mind turned to Rocket and mirrored the effect Gamora had on him with how Rocket might be feeling about Kai. He never thought he would see Rocket this connected with someone. He remembered how many times Rocket had put his own needs above the rest of the guardians without a second thought but honestly after the funeral for Yondu Rocket hadn't been the same. The whole event had brought the two of them much closer together in particular. Quill didn't always acknowledge it that much as he had been processing the loss of both of his fatherly figures at the same time as well as trying to allow himself to find happiness in Gamora. On reflection he worried he hadn't given Rocket enough credit for how much he had grown too. 

\-----

Rocket paced the main deck. He tried sitting, he tried doing something else but it was all no good. So he paced. Mantis was with him, she followed him and sat near by. She offered delicately to calm Rocket with her strange powers but he did his usual and aggressively told her to back off. She was hurt because she only wanted to help but she wasn't so timid anymore. She decided she would simply sit and be there for him for now. After what felt like forever a call came into the _Benatar_. Rocket dove to the console and accepted it. He was so relieved when Kai's face was staring back at him. 

'Rocket I don't have much time, I've spoken to Nova Prime. The head of the Project division has been playing games.' Rocket tapped a few buttons and brought up the video feed for outside the ship. Sure enough the guards were on the move, the hornets nest had been kicked into action. 

'Okay so are you coming back to the ship...' Rocket began to ask.

'Negative. I'm going to assist with the unrest here. We're mobilizing as we speak.' Sure enough Rocket could hear orders in the back ground. 'Hold on Prime would like a word.' Kai moved his forearm to allow Irani to come into view. 

'Where is your captain?' She asked curtly.

'Just me sweet heart now what's the news?' Rocket spat back at her. Pursing her lips Nova Prime managed to reign in a retort. 

'The HQ is now under lock down, your ship must enter orbit immediately. Captain Norman, prick that he is, will be placed under arrest. Despite my dislike for your tactics I would offer thanks for helping bring this to my attention. Until the matter is resolved I want the guardians off world. This is an internal problem that must be resolved without intervention. That will be all.' Irani stalked off screen as Kai brought it back to face himself. She could be heard giving orders. She might be a slight woman but her voice demanded obedience and echoed authority. 

'You heard her, you guys need to take off.' Kai started moving to cancel the call. 

'Wait a god damned minute! We can help, just give me a minute...' Rocket began.

'This is an internal affair Rocket you need to keep out of it. I'll be in contact once it's resolved. Shadow out.' The video link terminated. 

'Shadow out?! What kind of bullshit was that?!?!' Rocket pounded his fist on the consol. He was so mad to be cut right out of the situation. He didn't even know why he bothered worrying about Kai. That fucking military attitude again. The idea of being dismissed as non essential burned through Rocket's veins. Even so, deep inside there was still a pocket of relief that he was okay mocking Rocket's need to feel mad right now. _Screw this!_ he thought. Rocket pushed away from the console and went to leave.

'Where are you going?' Mantis asked with as much force as she could muster. Rocket stopped and looked at her. She had been so quiet he had forgotten she was there. 

'I'm not sitting here and letting him march off for something he's not even involved in and more importantly I'm gonna punch him in his stupid face for thinking he gets to throw me aside like garbage!' Rocket went to storm off but Mantis blocked his path.

'No you will not.' She stood in the middle of the doorway, her face looking like it might crumple any second. Rocket's face grew stormy as he glared at her. 'I know you are worried about Kai but he must do this on his own, he said so himself. If you are this worried you must care for him and if you care for him you must trust him.' Rocket's resolve started fading away, his rage didn't normally fade this easily and if Mantis had been touching him he would have blamed her for it but in truth she had simply spelled out the situation in a way that made perfect sense. If Rocket had told Kai to back off he would expect him to do it. My god did it annoy him that he had to give the same respect to Kai though. 

'But what if he get's himself hurt again for these Nova idiots.' Rocket absentmindedly rubbed his upper arm with his paw, more thinking out loud than talking to Mantis.

'You do not believe that will happen, would you care for such a weak person? The Nova are silly and not very tough, I believe Kai will be fine.' Mantis gave a big smile and relished the fact she was getting a moment to bond with Rocket, she so easily faded into the background when the boys were in the same room that speaking to any of them individually was a rare treat. To be able to support Rocket in this moment meant a lot to her. As much as she was happy to be free from Ego she also found it difficult to break her habit of helping others with their emotional struggles. Rocket managed to look Mantis in the eye and smile. Reluctantly he turned around and headed to the flight deck. He would take off as ordered but he wasn't going far that was for sure. He took quite a bit of happiness from the idea of taking off without running it past Quill first as well. A pleasant silver lining in an otherwise bitter moment of time. 

Sliding into the front seat Rocket could see the guards still running up and down. With this much mayhem they could have simply walked into the HQ, none of that crawling through vents they had been playing with all night. Didn't matter how many times he did this a surge of arrogant pride mixed with excitement surged through Rocket's body as he tapped away at the multiple screens. It took him a moment or two longer than usual. The adjustments he made for the backfire needed correcting and he needed to be sure that no damage had been done to the engines with the smokescreen manoeuvre. Having been genetically engineered for this, Rocket blitzed through the checks like a figure skater on ice. The ship buzzed to life and the engines fired up. With a few last few taps it was all systems go, cranking the level beside the chair the piloting controls shifted to Rockets position and he started to lift off, at that moment an angry Star Lord bellowed through the comms speaker.

'Rocket I swear to god I'll kick your furry little ass if you don't put my ship down right now!' He sounded out of breath, he must have been running to the flight deck already. With a devilish grin Rocket thought about the fact he was running through the ship. As the ship lifted off Rocket threw the joystick to the side and the ship lurched to the side. In the background he could hear a loud thump along with Drax shouting in annoyance as he slammed into something. 

'Do that again and I will end you rodent!' Gamora this time. Rocket cackled with laughter and kicked his feet. He hadn't even thought about the others. They must be falling all over the place! Taking a deep breath and focusing he took the ship up and out of the atmosphere. With a few adjustments he put the ship in orbit around the planet keeping it in line with the capital city. Moments later Peter, Gamora and Drax thundered up the stairs and onto the flight deck. 

'Rocket! You little... I'm gonna kill him, this time I'm actually gonna just...' Quill was fuming and charging right for Rocket. Rocket hopped out of the chair and held his hands up. 

'Don't get your little panties in a bunch Star boy I was following orders.' Rocket dismissed Quill's anger and went to breeze past him. 

'Screw you, you little trash panda!' Peter was done with his attitude, piloting his ship saying he was following orders. Rocket hadn't followed orders a day since they met. 

'What'd you just call me?!' Rocket was ready to launch himself at Peter. He knew that insult now and he wasn't going to let it pass. 'Call me that again I dare you! I'm not gonna take that shit lying down!' Quill smirked as Rocket held himself as tall as he could. 

'Really? Cos I bet you love your boyfriend taking you lying down don't you?' Quill spat the insult at Rocket without thinking. As the words left his mouth his heart twisted and he wished he hadn't. The room went silent. Rocket stood there dumb struck. They always had banter and sure some times it was close to the line but this was something else. Rocket stared at Peter with his mouth slightly open before he closed it and a deep sadness clouded his eyes. 'Rocket I...' For the first time in his life Peter Quill was speechless. Rocket's face turned angry and he looked at the ground feeling bitter and ashamed. 

'Rocket why did you take off?' Gamora asked. 

'There's about to be a civil war at Nova HQ so they ordered us to enter orbit. So I did.' Rocket turned and walked away. He felt horrible. The one person other than Groot that was meant to understand him had attacked a part of him that was new and scary. He didn't know he was gay, he didn't even know he could like another person in a romantic sense. Now it was being used against him as an insult and as amazing as his time with Kai had been, the gut wrenching feeling he had right now made him forget the sheer joy of feeling so much for another person and feeling their affection in return. He went straight to his room and locked the door. As it locked behind him he leaned back against it and tried to breath but it felt like Drax was sitting on his chest. His heart ached and his eyes filled with tears. He sank to the floor and let his mind go numb as the fur on his cheeks soaked up the sadness of his soul falling from his eyes. He had never felt so alone and so lost as he did in that moment. Once again he found himself screaming out to the world that he didn't ask to be made this way. Why did every part of who he was have to make life so cruel to him? _WHY?_ He yelled in his mind forcing his face into his forearms and pulling at the fur on his head. Of course there was nothing but silence in response. Silence and an empty room full of his own doubt and self loathing. A prison with a population of one. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter this time, real life just getting in the way I'm afraid, but I hope you guys like it! No matter how busy things get I'll keep posting till this is finished :3 And if you're reading this then thank you for the continued support <3


	11. Home

Rocket could feel the ship shifting from it's current orbit, the engines coming back to life. He gazed about the dimly lit room with bleary eyes. As he slowly sat up from his crumpled position by the door he couldn't even remember drifting off to sleep. The fur on his face was still a bit damp and the few blissful moments after waking began to shatter as a profound emptiness occupied his chest. He ached from sleeping in such an awkward position. He began to wonder where they were going. He sat still listening for tell tale signs and sure enough he felt the roar of entering the atmosphere again. Getting up from the floor and rubbing his neck trying to ease the tension he thought about his next move. Going back onto the main deck wasn't inviting and he sure as hell didn't want to look like a love sick puppy waiting for Kai to get back. He settled on sulking in his room. They could finish the rest of this mission without him for all he cared. He pulled out a storage box and started getting bits and pieces out. There was nothing like building a bomb to sooth his tormented soul. 

\-----

The ship touched back down on the landing pad of Nova Corps HQ. The first rays of light had just begun to hit the top of the building and a single black clad figure stood waiting. As the access ramp lowered Kai was disappointed to see no one there to greet him. After his work that night he felt like a hero returning to the fold. The absence of anyone waiting for him stung his self esteem, he guessed maybe he wasn't a part of the in crowd yet after all. He shrugged off the thought and headed on board. He went straight to the main deck, he could do with some food and a sit down and still needed to fill the guardians in on what had gone down. As he reached the common area and Peter arrived at the same time. 

'Hey Peter thanks for picking me up. It would be a good idea to head out as soon as possible though, do you need to resupply before hand? I've got people on stand by to assist if you do.' Kai spoke as he unclipped his armour and weapons dropping them on the table with a thud. There was no response as he went about getting something to fill his stomach. He noticed Peter seemed a bit awkward. _I'm really not part of the in crowd yet, dude can't even relax around me_ Kai thought as he inwardly sighed. He didn't care all that much but it was still a burden to deal with these situations. 

'No we're okay for stuff to be honest...' Peter said hovering in the room. Kai didn't acknowledge his response, it seemed pretty clear that if they didn't need anything they should head out, away from the system while things cooled off. Noticing he was still standing around making the place look untidy Kai stopped and turned to Quill. 

'Is there something the matter? If you don't need anything we should leave. It's still a bit of a mess in there right now and I don't fancy getting dragged into the politics of it all.' Kai cocked his head a bit in an attempt to work out what Peter was trying to say with his constipated expression. 'Peter come on, spit it out, I'm tired. What's the issue?' Kai was getting annoyed now. This was not the cheery celebration he was stupidly hoping for upon his return. 

'Well it's... umm. I kinda argued with Rocket about him taking off in the first place...' Quill began but Kai cut in.

'Nova Prime ordered him to take off, why would you argue about that?' Kai scowled, he really didn't care about this and didn't know what it's got to do with him exactly. 

'Yeah I know that now but at the time I thought it was just Rocket being Rocket and he tilted the ship and Drax practically squashed Mantis because of it so really...' Quill was rambling and Kai was not in the mood.

'Peter! Get to the point!' Kai was exasperated. He wanted food and sleep, in that order and soon. Quill jumped at the outburst. 

'Okay! I said something to him that was out of line and I didn't mean it but he locked himself in his room and won't come out. Look I'm really sorry I didn't mean it, it just kinda came out.' The tension in the air thickened and Kai stopped making his snack and turned calmly to face Quill.

'What did you say to him exactly?' Calm, eerily calm, the kind of calm that made Quill want to pick his next words really carefully. 

'I may have made a joke about you two, well, you know.' Kai walked over to stand in front of Peter. He wasn't sure if it was the long night or what he had said that made the shadows on Kai's face more prominent but either way it was not a pretty sight. 

'Us two... what?' The words came out through a clenched jaw. 

'Look man it was just a joke I don't really think he takes it lying down or what ever, I mean maybe he does and that's okay.' Kai's hand grabbed Peter's throat faster than he could blink and pinned him against the wall. He had been using his cybernetic enhancements all night and nothing short of pure rage would have been enough for him to engage them one more time. The strain burned through his muscles but it was worth it. Kai held him there in an iron grip and leaned his face in close to Peter, his teeth bared like a rabid dog. Kai looked like he was going to say something but after a moment or two he let Peter drop to the floor, gasping for air. Kai turned and braced against the table. He was so tired he was seeing spots. He reached down and detached his interface device from his forearm, he didn't want to risk using his enhancements again. With the device thrown on the table with the rest of his gear he took a deep breath and walked away. It took a huge amount of effort. If Peter had ruined things between them he could always come back and smash his face in later. Right now he needed to speak to Rocket and with that thought his rage started to subside into concern. 'Great talk, really glad to have you back.' Peter wheezed more to himself than anyone. He knew he had it coming though, he was mainly glad it only resulted in a light choking, could have been worse. 

\-----

A couple of knocks came through the metal door to Rocket's room. He twitched his ears to the sound but decided to ignore it. Moments later a few more knocks came through, louder this time but still done with care. 

'Rocket I know you're in there, let me in. Please.' Kai sounded exhausted and for a moment Rocket felt bad for him. Then he remembered their talk over the video link and his stubbornness returned. 

'Get lost army boy, go play with your Nova Corps buddies.' Rocket tried to focus on his latest deadly toy that was coming together nicely.

'Oh screw this.' Kai sighed in frustration. Rocket listened out for footsteps leading away but instead heard rustling. There was the sound of a panel being pulled off the wall outside followed by a snapping sound, electrical buzz and crackle. The red screen next to the door lit up green and the door slid open with a hiss. Kai came into the room and sat straight down on the bed with a thump. Rocket got up and stuck his head out the door. He'd torn the access panel right off the damn wall and ripped out half the cables to the door. Rocket stared at Kai who shrugged. 'What? I wanted to come in.' Rocket walked over to Kai and the door closed again. 'So I hear Peter has been an asshole. You okay?' Rocket took a step closer to stand in front of Kai. As Rocket stepped in Kai started reaching out his arms to hug him as a furry fist smashed into his nose. 

'AM I OKAY? Last time you spoke to me you didn't think I was worth a fucking thing! Now you wanna act like you give a damn? Screw you!' Rocket was mad, he was hurt and it was all too much. As the rage boiled inside him and his emotions flared he couldn't control his breathing. Kai's shock lasted only a moment before he wiped his nose. Despite the fact his fingerless gloves were black he could see a small smear of wet crimson on them. It wasn't enough to write home about but damn Rocket packed a decent punch. He looked up at Rocket, his chest was heaving and his mouth was pulled into an angry snarl. His eyes were wet though, not crying but welling up. Kai reached out his hands again and Rocket pulled back his arm.

'Go ahead. Hit me again. I don't care.' Kai slide one arm round to the small of Rocket's back and the other over the opposite side round his neck and pulled him in towards him. Rocket fought for a second before he let his pulled back arm fall to his side and his head drop. Kai pulled him in tight. He could feel how twisted Rocket was on the inside. This was Kai's first real taste of empathy. It hurt for all the right reasons. Holding Rocket with his arms wrapped around him he felt a desperate urge inside himself to protect this person. He wanted him to stop hurting more than anything, as the thought went through his head he shifted his arms a little bit like he needed to cover as much of Rocket as possible. Rocket hated this. He hated how horrible he felt inside and his demons fought and screamed inside him not to let this human make him feel better. It was like the flood gates inside him had been unlocked and the rush of feelings was too much. He dug his claws into Kai's clothing and pushed his face into his chest. Much to his surprise it made the demons stop screaming so loud, it felt... good. Kai stayed silent as he felt Rocket pull in closer, but a little flicker of warmth ignited in his heart like magic. They didn't say anything. Rocket felt Kai letting go and started to panic but then his arm slid under his legs. Rocket really didn't like being picked up but this situation was different. Kai lifted Rocket onto the bed and pulled him close again. They laced together perfectly on the bed. Slowly Kai felt Rocket's breathing become more regular. He brought his hand up and started gently stroking from Rocket's head down to the base of his neck. He tensed up briefly but let out a sigh and settled his head back down on Kai's chest. Rocket let his mind relax and focused on how warm Kai felt, how his fingers gently worked themselves through his fur. All he could smell was Kai's scent, a mix of sweat with metallic undertones and something Rocket couldn't quite figure out but reminded him of some of the densely forested worlds they had been to over the years. As he was working through all this in his mind and that big hole inside his chest seemed to be fading away there was a word that was just out of his reach that seemed to fit the moment perfectly. His brow crumpled up as he went searching for the word and then it hit him - _Home_... as the word came to him he surprised himself with it. He'd never really had a home before. He'd lived on different ships before and sure they had been a home of sorts. He felt comfortable in a ship but this was different. He put his paw on Kai's chest and pushed his head up to look Kai in the eyes. He looked at his face, really looked. _He feels like home?_ The thought didn't make complete sense to Rocket but it felt right. He often misunderstood the meaning of words and got confused sometimes but this didn't feel like one of those moments. Kai's features softened as he looked back at him. The scruffy fur flattened on one side of his face from lying down, some patches that were clumping together from being wet. 'What?' It was a warm and encouraging tone. A lump caught in Rocket's throat, there was no way he was going to say it out loud. It was too dumb. 

'You look like crap.' Rocket said, Kai laughed and grazed his knuckles against Rocket's chin.

'Well what do you expect? You hit me pretty hard.' He was still grinning but Rocket's face dropped a bit. Kai put his hand on Rocket's cheek and turned his head to face him again. 'It's fine, I think I deserved it. I didn't mean to make you feel bad before...' Kai started to talk through things but Rocket interrupted him.

'I don't want to talk about it right now.' Kai had a flicker of concern go across his face and thought about forcing the issue. Maybe now wasn't the time for it and he let it drop. He eased into a sitting up position.

'Okay Rocky, that's fine we'll talk about it later but I'm still gonna say I'm sorry. I'm exhausted so I'll go get some rest for now.' Kai leaned in and kissed Rocket on the side of his muzzle before starting to move off. 

'There's a bed right here you know.' It was as close to the words he wanted to say as he could get. _Stay with me please, I really need you right now._

'I thought you'd never ask.' Kai said with a cocky smile and kind eyes. He stood up and Rocket began to protest. 'What? I'm not gonna sleep in my clothes am I?' He stripped down to his boxers and flopped back down onto the bed. 'So... you gonna join me or not?' Rocket mumbled some feigned annoyance and went to cuddle up but Kai put his hand on Rocket's chest and held him back. 'Maybe you can take off the tactical gear too? Here I'll help.' Kai started unzipping the his vest.

'I don't need help, get off.' Rocket pulled away and turned his back as he fiddled with the zip. He was getting flustered. He felt some warm hands slide up his arms and onto his shoulders as Kai whispered in his ear.

'It's more fun with help though.' His neck fur stood on end and his breath caught in his throat. Rocket was emotionally vulnerable right now, the hands gently massaging his shoulders felt safe though like they would fix him if he let them. Kai unzipped his vest as he nuzzled Rocket's neck. The furry guy was putty, his brain had stalled and all he could feel was bliss as his vest slid off him and he felt Kai biting down on his neck with just enough pressure. Hands glided over his chest and worked their way down to his waist. Rocket turned his head and pulled Kai's mouth to his own, their tongues meeting and exploring each other. As Rocket thought it couldn't get any better he felt his junk being cupped and rubbed. Rocket let out a sound that was half way between a growl and a moan and full of pure pleasure. Kai was trying to restrain himself but it was becoming impossible. As Rocket pulled away from the kiss he looked down as Kai started to unzip his trousers. The pressure was building under the crotch material and Rocket wanted to beg for release but something else caught his attention before it escaped his mouth. Something hard pressing into his lower back, hard and warm. He reached behind and realised Kai was now fully naked and hard as a rock. 'I told you it was more fun with help.' Kai purred playfully. Rocket bit his lip and turned around, pushing Kai onto his back.

'Shut up.' Rocket said with a lustful, toothy smile as he practically ripped his trousers off and jumped on top of Kai. The feeling of Rocket's fur up against his skin was amazing and had Kai's dick begging to get in on the action. All thoughts of exhaustion were a distant memory as Rocket's paw reached behind him and gave Kai exactly what he wanted. It was an experience that was going to be etched into their memory for all time. They completely lost track of time and the rest of the world fell away as they gave into their base instincts. Instead of time, all Rocket noticed was tempo as they grinded together faster and faster, like the animals they were, before coming back down again and experiencing something slower, more meaningful and much more intimate. One moment Kai was on his back gripping the mattress as Rocket's hips pounded against him, the next moment Rocket had his arms wrapped around Kai's neck with his back against the wall, Kai taking his full weight and slowly fucking him as he panted like a dog in Rocket's ear. Nothing in the world would ever come close to the extreme pleasure and closeness they felt right now. No amount of hate could convince these two soul mates they weren't meant to be. No one else existed in their world, it was only the two of them and it was perfect. 

\-----

Completely spent, Kai could feel sweat running off his forehead as he laid face down on the bed, a satisfied smile on his sleepy face. Rocket was still coming down from the afterglow of blowing his last load. He was lying on top of Kai's back with his muzzle hanging over his shoulder, their faces almost touching as he felt Kai's chest rising and falling. He could feel his fur sticking to Kai for various reasons but he didn't have a single care about it. All his mind was focused on right now was not drooling right onto Kai's cheek and that simple task seemed to be taking up all the brain power he could muster. There was no way he could process everything that had happened, he knew he had never felt this close to heaven before. The rhythmic rise and fall of Kai beneath him was all he needed to let his brain fold in on the beckoning call of sleep and the light snoring that accompanied it told him he was in good company for it too. As he drifted off that word came echoing through his mind again - _Home_... with a smile he accepted it into his heart and attached Kai's face to it. The two things seemed perfect together and they would be safe there. For once in his life Rocket didn't feel scared anymore. For once in his life he truly didn't feel alone. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third times the charm? Yeah it finally happened. Just like Thanos it was inevitable. Dropping this a bit early as I'm ahead of schedule, next chapter is half done already and I've got some more time off work coming up next week so hopefully I'll be able to get back to posting longer chapters. Hope you are all doing well where ever you are in the world. Catch you next week :3


	12. The Same Team

Kai drifted out of the black comfortable abyss of unconsciousness. He absentmindedly brought his hand up to scratch his face but as his fingers touched the stubble on his chin they smeared something sticky and wet over his face. He opened his eyes to inspect what was going on and he saw a cute little muzzle half open snoring gently over his shoulder. _I guess I can get used to that_ he thought wiping the drool off his face and trying not to chuckle. After wiping his hand on the covers he awkwardly tried to stroke Rocket's face to wake him. He had no idea what time it was but he felt well rested so it was as good a time as any to get up. As Kai stroked Rocket a few times he pulled his tongue back in and mumbled in his sleep. There was nothing else for it, Kai gently pushed himself up and as Rocket began to slide off of Kai's back he came round to the waking world.

'What'd you do that for?' Rocket yawned. 'I was having a great dream.' He rubbed his eyes and rolled off his human mattress. 

'Yeah well it was your drool on my face that woke me up so we're even.' Kai replied with a light laugh wiping his face. Rocket rolled over onto his back with wide eyes.

'I didn't.' Kai grinned seeing the embarrassment painted on his face.

'You did.' Kai said taking the opportunity to climb on top of Rocket playfully pinning his arms to the bed. 'But it was a small price to pay for last night.' Kai leaned down and kissed his neck and started working his way down to his chest and stomach.

'Kai don't I'm all gross!' As the kissing got to his ribs he couldn't help laughing, he was quite sensitive apparently. He wrestled in Kai's grip but the laughter sucked all the strength out of his body. Kai eventually let him go with a smile plastered on his face from ear to ear. As Rocket caught his breath and looked at this guy straddling him he still couldn't believe it. As he looked at the bare chest and arms with his tawny fur stuck to them he noticed something else. 'How come you aren't being a grumpy asshole this morning then?' Pride swelled in Rocket knowing there had only been one difference between now and the few other times they woke up in the same space. _Guess I must have done something right_ Rocket thought, he was relieved to say the least. He didn't really know what he was doing, he'd heard people talk about sex, mostly Quill, but he didn't know exactly what to do. The complete lack of awkwardness between them said everything though. Rocket was already running the events of last night through in his mind. 

'Well I think this might have had something to do with it.' Kai lifted himself up and slid carefully down the bed between Rocket's legs. With the images of last night in his mind and Kai's hands on his junk Rocket let his eyes roll back in his head letting out a satisfied sigh. Just as he was getting into it though Kai gave a small laugh and stood up.

'Hey I was enjoying that!' Rocket cried indignantly.

'I can tell but I'm going to grab a shower.' He wandered over to the storage compartments looking for a towel. Rocket sat up in bed in disbelief, how could he up and leave like that? It was rude! 'Oh and you're coming with me.' Kai said over his shoulder with a devilish grin. He chucked a towel at Rocket and grabbed one for himself before he pulled on his boxers and headed for the door. 'Well?' Kai said pausing in the open doorway. Rocket leaped off the bed with his towel in hand. 'Umm maybe you should cover your cannon man!' Kai said looking down at Rocket's member that was pointing the way forward. 

'Oh yeah, heh.' Rocket wrapped the towel around his waist and shoved Kai out the door. 'Hey Kai?' Rocket asked.

'Yeah?' he responded.

'You didn't lock the door again, we got lucky this time.' They both laughed as they walked down the corridor to hit the showers together. Rocket did make a mental note to fix the ruined wiring at the earliest opportunity though. It was better to be safe than sorry. 

\-----

Music began playing through the ship as Kai and Rocket dried themselves off. It was so well timed Kai was suspicious they're activities might have been noticed by the rest of the crew. Not that either of them cared in the slightest. As they pulled on their clothes and began to leave Kai called Rocket back. 

'What?' Rocket asked straightening his top.

'Just jump up here a second.' Kai gestured to the bench next to the lockers. Rocket shrugged and jumped up. Kai pulled him into a slow passionate kiss, it was nice being the same height for a change.

'What was that for?' Rocket asked, not that he was complaining. 

'I made you a promise on Xandar. No more games, saying how I feel, remember?' Kai reached his hand behind Rocket's head and nuzzled his face into Rocket's. 

'You don't have to.' Rocket felt like he had enough of a warm glow to last a life time right now.

'Hehe I know I don't. But I'm going to. I don't think you understand I haven't felt happiness like this before.' The stony military gruffness had melted away and this puppy dog innocence had taken over. It was almost too much for Rocket to handle. 

'Would you shut up, I know alright?' Rocket joked. 'But it's nice hearing you say it I guess. Just don't tell anyone I said that.' 

'Hmm okay so I shouldn't start kissing you in front of the others then?' Kai teased.

'Hell no!' Rocket was horrified by the idea.

'How about staring longingly into your eyes when we all eat breakfast?' 

'Moron.' Rocket shoved Kai off of him and hopped off the bench. Kai continued to tease Rocket until they started actually getting close to the main deck then he started freaking himself out that someone might hear so he stopped. 

They wandered into the room, the rest of the guardians sat with breakfast in front of them, minus Groot who must have been too busy sleeping or playing his game to bother with breakfast. They were uncharacteristically quiet as the two of them shuffled in. Rocket sat down as Kai grabbed a coffee. 

'So... are we cool Rocket?' Asked Quill awkwardly.

'Bite me.' Rocket snarled back. He wasn't going to let him off that easy, he had already been thinking of a number of ways to get Quill back for crossing the line with him. 

'But that is the job of the other human is it not!?' Drax bellowed bursting into laughter thumping the table with his fist. The others all began laughing too, even Peter couldn't hide a grin despite how on edge he was. 'Your love making was loud and most passionate! You must be so embarrassed!' Even Gamora was laughing loudly. It was not an unkind chorus but Kai was so glad he had his back to the rest of them. His whole body had gone rigid and he was gripping the mug in his hand so tightly it was in danger of cracking. Rocket was shouting about there being no privacy on the damn ship, that they were all perverts and more than once hit Drax in the shoulder. Of course this made him crumple into more thunderous laughter. As Kai turned round and looked at Rocket though he didn't look that horrified by this situation. His indignation and rage was an act and it was clear his heart wasn't in it. Kai eventually relaxed himself and smiled with a light blush as he sat down. He kept his gaze on the contents of his cup for a little while but soon enough talk moved on to the usual topics as they ate. Rocket briefly made eye contact with Kai when things had calmed down and gave him a shy smile but there was also perhaps a tinge of pride in there as well. Kai looked away as he felt his mouth pulling into a smile as well. Now this felt more like the welcome he was hoping for last night. The scene pulled at his chest though as it didn't feel permanent. Nothing ever was for him. 

\-----

Kai snuck into the hold of the ship, he checked around and made sure the crew were busy elsewhere. Confident he was alone he opened a secure link to the Nova HQ. Having checked the system on the ship the call out would have been detected but he had made sure no one would be monitoring it right now. He would have to go and manually clear the log later. 

'Shadow, good to hear from you, although I would have hoped you had contacted sooner.' Irani's voice sounded drained.

'I was... busy. I don't have long, what's the latest?' Kai asked quietly checking over his shoulder out of paranoia. 

'I have things under control here you don't need to worry about that but before we managed to get through their defences they chose to wipe a large amount of data from the archives, including the data on Ra'zen. It will take some time to recover it, if that's even possible.' 

'No need I have a copy of all the data relating to it. I need to go through it but it should be enough.' 

'Just remember what we discussed, your new position will only be finalised after this has been shut down.' Her voice seemed to falter a bit.

'Prime?' Kai asked, checking the connection in case it had been discovered. 

'I'm here, I'm sorry to be putting you in this situation. It has to be done, I hope you understand.' The soft tones told Kai she really did mean it. 

'I'll see to it don't worry.' Kai said, his heart feeling heavy. He cut the communication and leant back against the wall with a deep sigh. The near future seemed like a tangled web of possibilities and there was a lot riding on it. Somehow he had to figure this out without losing everything. A warning from his interface device pulled him back from his thoughts, his hearing zoned in on the sound. Rocket came round the corner.

'Hey you need to come see this.' He looked at Kai and frowned. 'What's got you all mopey?' Kai pushed off from the wall trying to be nonchalant.

'Nothing, I was thinking about what's coming.' 

'Well guess this won't make you feel much better.' Rocket waved for Kai to follow him. They went to the main deck where Peter and Gamora were looking concerned. Kai could feel his pulse quickening. 'I plugged the hard drive in and started going through it but there's barely anything there.' Rocket announced sounding disheartened and annoyed. 

'How is that possible? You said you ripped all the data.' Kai looked around the room at the blank faces. 

'I don't know alright, it should be there.'

'Great, well that's less than ideal.' Kai said through gritted teeth. 'Go through what we have left then and figure something out. I'm going to my quarters call me if you find anything.' With that Kai turned and left. Rocket watched him go with his mouth a bit open. 

'He's acting like this is my fault? He's the one who wanted me to come along in the first place, I did him a favour!' Rocket looked to the others for some reaction. 

'No one is blaming you, he's probably just as frustrated as you.' Gamora tried to smooth things over. Rocket mumbled some curses and turned back to the screen. 

\-----

Later that day their ship continued to drifted through a safe area of the quadrant. With no heading right now they needed to keep out of the way. Rocket sighed for what must have been the millionth time. There was very little that was of any use in the data files. It was mostly rubbish going on about the biological and scientific relevance of what had been done to the augmented bug like creature. The information and conclusions were quite hyped up as well, or at least it seemed that way to Rocket, like the person writing it was happy about what they were seeing. In truth he had learned next to nothing compared to what they heard at the meeting back on Xandar while Kai was still unconscious. 

'Am I interrupting?' Rocket turned to Kai as he spoke before sighing yet again.

'What do you want?' Rocket grumbled back staring at the screen like something interesting might appear. 

'I was angry earlier, I took that out on you, or at least it might have come out that way. Brought you this as a peace offering.' Kai put a drink on the side near Rocket. Rocket picked it up and was happy to smell it was alcoholic. 

'You seem like you changed your tune, what gives?' Rocket asked suspiciously. 

'Well I've got a hold of some of my contacts, called in favours and one of them has told me there's some shady dealings going on a few jumps from here. It's a fairly large space port but there's been some reports of a heavily augmented female. Possibly Xandarian. She's been coming and going regularly buying supplies. Enough supplies for a small army. Had it looked into and their ship doesn't appear to be registered. The best part? One of the dock workers was killed a week back. Ripped in two with deep puncture wounds, apparently from something large and pincer like.' Kai had a triumphant smile on his face.

'Alright! Thank you dead dude! How the hell did they get back to you so quick though? You got some pretty good contacts!' Rocket beamed and smashed his cup into Kai's spilling some of the liquid. Kai gave what he hoped was a convincing smile. 

'I know right? Some good luck I guess, we were due some. Why don't you go tell the others? We should have a bit of a celebration I think.' 

'Ah screw those guys this was all us!' Rocket gulped down some of his drink. Kai's face dropped a bit it seemed. 'Well okay I mean if you want...' But instead of leaving Rocket tapped a few buttons and made an announcement. Not what Kai wanted at all.

A few hours later and the Guardians were in high spirits. They had their heading, a way forward, but Kai had informed them they had a few days to relax. He was being extremely vague about who he had spoken to and kept deflecting their questions. They didn't let it dampen their mood though. Drax was loudly recounting one of his tales from his home planet to Mantis who was enraptured by every second of it. Peter was desperately trying to get Gamora to dance with him and she was only pretending she didn't want to. Rocket sidled up to Kai who was half listening to Drax. Rocket rolled his eyes at Drax when Kai looked at him and Kai laughed, following Rocket over to a seat where they could talk instead. 

'I never know if half of what he's saying is true or heavily embellished.' Kai said to Rocket shaking his head.

'Oh most of it's bull I'm pretty sure.' There was a slight pause. 'So you gonna fill me in then?' 

'On what?' Kai asked.

'Where this sudden change of plans really came from? I've been watching you all evening and you can't stop looking at the info station. If there's something you want to access then go ahead, we're all friends here.' Rocket had taken on a serious, accusatory tone. Kai made a decision quickly, he needed to change tactic.

'Look there's more at play here than you need to know.'

'Tell me what's going on now. I'm not asking twice.' Kai held Rocket's gaze for a few seconds but he didn't waver. Kai huffed in frustration.

'Fine. Rocket I'll tell you what I can but I need you to trust me on this.' There was a desperate pleading look in Kai's eyes. 'I'm trying to protect you, please believe me.' Rocket bristled at that.

'I don't need protecting so just tell me what you're hiding!' Rocket was whispering but it was too loud for Kai's liking. 

'I know you don't need me to but I'm doing it anyway. I'll explain but not here.' Kai got up and walked out. Rocket followed on behind as Quill made some lewd remarks. With enough space between them and the others, Kai began to explain. 'The data files that are missing have been uploaded into my system. I've gone through what's relevant and there has been a lot of stuff the Nova have been hiding. I thought I was the only living Project from their secret division but I'm not. They had another who came before me. She is the one behind this.' Kai stopped. He didn't want to say any more. 

'So what's the big deal then? Let's go find this crazy woman and I'll shove an explosive down her wind pipe.' Rocket didn't get the issue here. 

'It's not that simple Rocket. I mean it is but she's a Nova fanatic. She has all kinds of information about the empire that Nova Prime does not want in the hands of anyone else. Including the Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm to track her down and silence her before she can do any more damage.' Kai looked at Rocket waiting for him to speak. 

'Nah I'm not buying it. What's in this for you?' Rocket asked. Immediately he knew he had hit the right note as Kai seemed to tense. 'I knew it, you're trying to cut us out of a bigger pay day!' Rocket was angry, units were everything to him and here Kai was trying to screw him out of god knows what.

'It's not units! I've told you before I got plenty of that.' Kai cried out in frustration and leaned his forehead against the wall. 'It's a job okay, a place in the Corps. A position of respect.' Rocket laughed as Kai admitted it. 

'You gotta be kidding right!' Kai looked at him with a slightly shamed look. 'You're being serious? Why the hell would you want that?' Rocket couldn't believe it. Sure that military side of Kai was hard to ignore but a stale role in the higher ranks of Nova Corps? It was insane. 

'And how am I meant to turn that down huh? I don't want to keep running around the Galaxy on my own picking up work, trying not to get killed. When this is all over that's exactly what I'll have to go back to and I don't want to anymore! I spoke to Irani and she was willing to offer me something. I can't go back to hiding all the time, it's so exhausting.' He sat on the floor and let the moments of silence tick by. 'I couldn't even keep this quiet from you for a day without you figuring me out. I don't have it in me anymore Rocket. The lying, the hiding. It's all I've been doing since I got picked up by the Nova. Every day.' Rocket stood there thinking. He knew what it was to constantly wander. The life suited him at one time but there's always a breaking point. Kai had finally found his. 

'So don't go back to that then.' Rocket said quietly. 

'Heh, what else is there?' Kai ran a hand through his hair taking in a deep breath. 

'Well you could start by not being an idiot.' Rocket crossed his arms as Kai began to protest. 'Hey! You think she's only gonna give you a job if you keep this quiet from us? Damn I thought you were smart. She's blackmailing you into this.'

'Yeah I get the concept so what's your point exactly?' Kai asked incredulously. 

'Urgh, dumb ass, do I have to spell it out?' Rocket rubbed the bridge of his muzzle with a paw. 'Kai, you know all of Nova's deep dark secrets, if you want a job with them use that as leverage.' As Rocket said it Kai did feel dumb. He was still playing the role of a soldier taking order without question. He did have leverage. A ton of it in fact. 

'Jeez I'm an idiot.' Rocket nodded in agreement. 

'So is that what your little call was about on the lower decks then?' Rocket asked as Kai cringed. 

'That obvious?' 

'Look I think the reason I actually trust you is you suck at lying around me. Maybe you're just bad at it in general I dunno but I read you like a book.'

'Now who sucks at lying, you don't read books.' Kai smirked.

'It's an expression! Smart ass.'

'I thought you said I was a dumb ass? You need to get your story straight.' Kai's smile grew wider.

'Stop talking. Look Kai you gotta be honest with me from now on alright? I'm serious. You almost died for me so I'll let this slide but we gotta be on the same team or this ain't gonna work.' Rocket didn't look at Kai as he spoke. There was a sad finality to his words that wiped the smile off Kai's face.

'I never wanted to lie to you.' Kai stared at the floor.

'I know you didn't.' The silence stretched out for a few moments before Kai mustered the courage to break it. 

'I know it might be hard to understand and I don't exactly love the idea of going back to the Corps but I'm so tired Rocket. It's the lesser of two evils. So... are we okay?' Kai was almost too scared to ask. Rocket took a moment to think before he spoke but deep down he knew the answer. 

'You owe me big time for this, hope you do have some units saved up because the next time we go drinking it's all on you. But yeah... we're okay.' Rocket tried to hide the smile on his face as he walked back to the small party going on but it was hard. Kai pulled himself up off the floor and followed after Rocket. 'Let's enjoy tonight, we can figure things out together and tell the rest when we get closer to the meet up with your contact. Assuming that's still the plan? Or did you lie about that too?' Rocket asked over his shoulder. Kai insisted that was still their next move. They walked back in to a round of playful jeering and Kai went and grabbed a couple more drinks. Rocket watched him go, plonking down next to Groot who had joined in listening to Drax still rambling on. He was entertaining enough to capture the childlike awe of Mantis and Groot. Rocket's attention flicked back to Kai. He hadn't thought about what came after they completed their contract together. He was so caught up in the moment simply living day by day. That was life as a Guardian and he liked it that way. The wheels in his mind started turning as he watched Kai return and handed him a cup filled to the brim. 

'What you thinking about?' Kai asked in a light hearted tone. Rocket looked at the rest of the Guardians and then looked at Kai. 

'Nothing.' Rocket smiled to himself. 

'So uh, you guys ever been to Contraxia? I hear it's the most fun place around, I've always wanted to go.' Kai asked Rocket, it was a rough attempt at moving away from everything they had just talked through. Rocket smirked but didn't torment Kai further. Instead he began telling him about his experiences of the place and they fell right into conversation. The music played on in the background, Quill kept making Gamora laugh, sometimes on purpose but most of the time by accident. The whole ship felt like it was back to rights and none of them had a care in the world. The hang overs might change that come morning but right now they were embracing life and damn did it feel good.

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter and just a heads up this fic will be kicking up a gear in the story soon so I hope you guys are looking forward to that, I know I am! Thanks for reading and hope where ever you are in the world that you're keeping sane and safe :3


	13. Clarity

Rocket gave a satisfied grunt as an electrical spark crackled from the panel. Pulling his paw back shaking it from the shock he just got. He was used to that stuff by now. He stepped back and appreciated his handiwork. Kai had really done a number on the door and as annoying as it was having to repair the whole damn thing Rocket couldn't help smiling about his bullish nature. Rocket would have done the same thing, maybe he would have blasted it with one of his guns instead but the result would have been the same if there was a stupid door getting in the way of where he wanted to be. He wiped his paws on a rag more out of habit than anything else, it wasn't exactly messy work doing wiring he was simply particular about things and wiping his paws off after a job was done had become a part of the ritual. Kai wandered up behind him. 

'You all done?' He asked. 

'Till you break it again at least.' Kai laughed.

'Don't lock me out and I won't have to.' Kai grinned as Rocket rolled his eyes. As he leant down to pick up the metal panel to cover it back over Kai stepped in and lifted it for him. 'I can do that.' 

'I don't need your help asshole.' Rocket growled as he pulled it out of Kai's hands. 

'Dude seriously? You should get that chip on your shoulder looked at.' Kai said in surprise and stepped back. Rocket shoved the panel until it snapped into place. He glanced at both of his shoulders with his brow scrunched up looking for something missing. When he didn't find anything he started wondering if Kai was talking about one of the metal plates sticking out of his upper back. 

'Where? I don't see nothing.' Rocket asked, almost comically starting to turn on the spot trying to look for the chip. Kai groaned internally and rubbed his face. Sometimes Rocket wasn't much better than Drax when it came to this stuff. 

'It's just an expression. I know you didn't need help with the panel I was trying to be nice, especially since I was the one who busted it in the first place. You get hung up on people helping you, it's stupid.' Rocket stopped spinning and let the words sink in. 

'That's a dumb expression and anyway I ain't got hang ups, I just don't need my hand holding as much as you do soldier boy.' Rocket hit the door release and headed into his room. Kai stood there as the door closed forcing himself to breath. Rocket kept calling him soldier boy ever since he told him about his plans. It was starting to get on his last nerve but if he let Rocket know he knew it would mean he would double up on calling him it. He had to keep his cool for now. 

Rocket wandered over to the side of the room and grumbled as he started rearranging his hardware that had been left out. The biggest problem with sharing space with another person was they moved things around. Not cool. As the door opened behind him Rocket voiced his annoyance. 

'Can you not touch my stuff, can't find anything.' Kai laughed which made Rocket snap his head round with a snarl. 'I'm serious!'

'I bet you are except...' Kai wandered over and picked something up from the floor. 'It wasn't me. I know better than to touch this crap, never know what's stable and what's gonna result in having my whole arm blown off. I've got enough shiny parts, wouldn't risk having to replace a whole limb to mess with you.' Rocket looked at the twig in Kai's hand and connected the dots. The door had been broken and Groot would have used that window of opportunity no doubt about it. 

'Groot? God damn it.' It wasn't an apology but Kai knew better than to expect that by now. 

Kai flopped onto the bed on his back and pulled up the holo display from his interface device and began flicking through files. Rocket turned back to the desk and started tinkering with bits. They fell into silence for a bit but Rocket kept glancing over at what Kai was doing. He couldn't focus.

'You good?' Kai asked without looking over. _Damn it_ Rocket thought. He didn't know Kai was paying attention. 

'Fine.' Rocket replied forcing himself to look really into what he was doing. Kai chuckled but didn't say anything. Ten seconds. He only lasted ten seconds before he couldn't fight it anymore. 'Okay! Okay. What are you doing?' 

'Nothin.' Kai replied with a smile pulling at the sides of his lips despite how hard he was fighting it. 

'Tell me, you're gettin on my nerves.' Rocket said without much conviction, Kai kept his eyes on the holo display.

'U-huh I know I am but until you ask nicely...' Rocket's paw twitched toward the gun strapped to his belt. 'You shoot me and I'll never be able to tell you what I'm up to.' As he spoke Kai briefly flicked his eyes toward Rocket and the metallic glint from his irises explained how he was picking up on everything. Rocket crossed his arms and pouted.

'I wasn't actually gonna shoot you, I mean not fatally, maybe the leg or something.'

'You're insane you know that right?' The smile on Kai's face as he spoke said they had it in common. 

'You love it.' Rocket said the word without thinking again and his gut twisted.

'I do.' Kai replied without hesitating. It sent a rush of relief and joy through Rocket and he had to look away. 

'Alright, alright I'll play nice. Can you show me what you're working on? Please?' Rocket didn't even have a bad taste left in his mouth after saying please. 

'Hehe yeah I needed to show you this anyway.'

'Then why didn't you just show me?!' Rocket asked realising he had been played.

'Waaaaay more fun doing it this way hehe.' Kai was so proud of himself as he wandered over the to sit next to Rocket.

'Moron.' Rocket grumbled. 

'You love it.' Kai retorted with a smug smile as he pulled up a stool. It was true, Rocket did love it. He had butterflies in his stomach when he was alone with Kai in these moments. It was a good kind of scary. Kai transferred the screen with a flick of his fingers to the larger display on the desk so they could both look at it. It was the full data set they ripped from Nova HQ. Rocket pulled his eyes away from staring at Kai's face. 

'So essentially I'm focusing on these files. I thought that maybe this other former shadow operative was hacking into the Nova data base or left a backdoor open somewhere in the coding which was why I wanted to scan for her signature but it turns out it's actually built into everything. This is co-operation not hacking.'

'So what? That whack job we met underground was actually in charge?' 

'Oh hell no, it's the other way around the idiot was working for this fanatic.'

'What's Project Lotus?' It was written in file names, in headers and in margins all over the place. Kai flicked a few files aside and pulled up a grouping he had pulled together. As they appeared spread out in front of the two of them Rocket started to see the picture.

'The Nova Corps called me Project Shadow. The one that came before me was Project Lotus. I'm trying to piece together what exactly went so wrong but most of the information either isn't here or doesn't exist anymore. But this caught my eye.' Kai enlarged a passage from an archived file. A name of someone who they were all familiar with. 

'Shit. What's prime got to do with this?' Rocket asked feeling the stakes rising higher by the moment. 

'Well she wasn't Nova Prime back then. She joined the Corps to the end the blood shed between Xandar and the Kree and climbed the ranks quickly. This seems to be turning point of her career. I'm not surprised this is the only reference, probably a mistake that it wasn't removed if anything.' 

'So what does this mean?' Rocket wondered out loud.

'Right now I'm not sure. I need to talk with her about it.' Kai looked pained but resolute.

'Kai you do realise that's dangerous. She might be one of the good guys but she has the entire Nova empire at her finger tips.' 

'We have a history so it should be fine but I'll tread carefully.' 

They spent more time going through the data together getting Rocket up to speed with everything. The plan Kai had come up with was based on communications that had been left in the logs from Project Lotus as well as cover ups the department had been doing when her creatures tore dock workers to pieces. Based on the locations and timings it was a solid guess that she would be at the space port in the next few days. From there they would trace the ship to where ever they were setting up their base of operations. Rocket insisted on sitting in on the call to Irani. Kai accepted he wasn't going to convince him otherwise but at least managed to convince him to listen discreetly. If Irani knew that even one Guardian knew what was going on she might with hold information that could be of use. Kai went to his room and locked the door. Rocket made sure no one else on the ship would be able to interfere with the communications and opened up the video link so he could see both Kai and Irani. 

'Now remember Rocket don't get involved.'

'Yeah, yeah I get it.' 

_Connecting_

**Irani** \- Shadow, I wasn't expecting any communication, what's changed?

 **Kai** \- Prime I've been through the data and there are elements that I don't quite understand but I believe you can offer clarity.

 **Irani** \- We haven't managed to recover any data yet but more time and we...

 **Kai** \- No. This is about you.

 **Irani** \- I don't follow.

 **Kai** \- What can you tell me about Project Lotus? I was under the impression I was the first living experiment but it seems I'm wrong.

 **Irani** \- I'm not familiar with that name unfortunately sorr...

 **Kai** \- Don't give me apologies! I need the truth and your name is the only one that came up. So I'll ask again. Tell me about Project Lotus. 

_You tell her Kai! Rocket thought as he watched Irani shift uncomfortably_

**Irani** \- It's complicated.

 **Kai** \- So uncomplicate it. 

**Irani** \- Your tone is unacceptable and you are jeopardising your future.

 **Kai** \- And what would your future look like if these files became public exactly?

 **Irani** \- ...

 **Kai** \- I need to understand what happened so I can properly assess what I'm dealing with.

 **Irani** \- *sigh* Fine. Project Lotus was not a living weapon she was my second in command while I was head of the Project division. Don't act surprised why else would I have taken such a keen interest in you. We worked together to shut down the cybernetic crime rings and warmongers within the empire. It was our main focus once tensions with the Kree were finally beginning to ease. After years of working in that environment feelings began to waver within the department. Our more radical scientists were becoming fascinated by what we were working to stop. My influence was growing rapidly and it came time for me to rise further up the ranks and seal my position as Prime. I left my second in command, Alison, in charge of the Project to shut down weaponised augmentation. That project was known as Project Lotus. Over time Alison became so intertwined in it's operations that she simply became known as Project Lotus. I turned my focus on moving toward peace with the Kree and left her unsupervised. It was a mistake. After investigating her she had chosen to augment herself. I made a choice, I had to shut her and the department down. I couldn't allow her to use the very tactics we sought to stop. My position was still not set in stone and if anyone sensed conflicted interest in me I wouldn't have stayed Prime for long. I removed her from the order after stripping her Augmentations and banished her from the Empire.

 **Kai** \- You what?!

 **Irani** \- I had to! Her ideas weren't simply radical they were extremist. The department was put under full investigation but not all the staff were let go and it seems that was my second mistake. 

**Kai** \- So what about me then? Why didn't you rip my cybernetics out and throw me out with the garbage?

 **Irani** \- Shadow. I never wanted to do those things but she left me no choice. When we picked you up I saw an opportunity to do things right. I had the power to do it then. Due to the scars of the past, the project to cleanse illegal augmentation continued but became secret. You were so young and scared. I couldn't... I couldn't do it again. So instead I created Project Shadow. I created you. Not in the physical sense but the programme revolved around you. The rest you know. 

**Kai** \- So now you want me to clean up your mistakes? 

**Irani** \- Cleaning up mistakes was your prime directive. I'm simply ordering you to do it one more time. 

**Kai** \- ...

_Kai's features darkened as he sat staring, defiantly at his employer._

**Irani** \- Imagine for a moment what the Kree fanatics have done in recent history. They have slaughtered countless innocents and nearly destroyed Xandar itself. Project Lotus is a fanatic but a Xandarian fanatic. You didn't think our empire was above such things did you? Now imagine what horrors she might be planning to inflict on our people. Or the Kree. 

**Kai** \- Am I meant to believe you're doing this to protect the Kree?

 **Irani** \- Ha! Do you think me so cruel now? So cold hearted? I do care. But as leader of the Nova Empire I must also consider the impact of such an event. A fanatic bearing our hallmarks attacks the Kree. They wouldn't bother with diplomacy they would launch into full scale war with us once more. I will not allow my mistakes to bring about the deaths of millions if not billions of individuals. I'm not asking you to protect my pride. I'm asking you to protect this galaxy from another thousand year war. 

_Why does this damn galaxy always need saving and why do I manage to get caught up in it all the frickin time? I need a drink. Rocket thought as he buried his face in his arms crossed on the desk in front of him._

**Kai** \- Right.

 **Irani** \- Does that clarify things for you Project Shadow?

 **Kai** \- Yeah pretty much. But don't call me that anymore. I'm not your project anymore. 

**Irani** \- I see. Will that be all then?

 **Kai** \- For now.

Disconnect

Rocket sat back in his chair. This was such a mess. He thought back to his talk with Nova Prime on their ship after they had rushed Kai to the medical ward. She seemed so maternal, not that Rocket really knew what that was like since he didn't have parents exactly. He felt like Irani and Kai had more of a relationship than simply master and weapon though. Rocket caught himself in these thoughts and was surprised he felt sad. He was feeling sad for Kai. _When did other people's problems become mine?_ But it wasn't other people in general it was only those closest to him. The guardians put up with a lot of his crap and he made it no secret he was out for himself, and to a lesser extent Groot, when they first met. He remembered drunkenly declaring he might kill all of them when they got paid for the artefact that turned out to be an infinity stone. He actually meant it then as well. Not out of hate, but he was so tortured by life he would lash out at anything near him. Somehow they had been strong enough to bring down Ronan but it still surprised him they were strong enough to put up with him. It took a long time for him to accept they might actually want him around, that they cared about him. It took even longer for him to accept he cared about them it seemed. But behind it all was the truth that he didn't hate life anymore, not completely. Sure the rest of the sentient beings in the universe could go to hell as far as Rocket was concerned but the people on this ship weren't as disposable. That now included Kai and Rocket absentmindedly slid off his chair and headed to Kai's room. He hadn't heard his door open so he knew Kai was probably still sitting there. He opened the door and sure enough Kai was staring at the plain desk in front of him. His head was hanging a bit lower than usual.

'You okay?' Rocket asked feeling awkward. 

'This is so messed up.' Kai ran his hands through his hair.

'I mean so is everyone around here. It's kinda in keeping with the vibe don't you think?' Kai didn't react. Rocket wandered over and stood for a second. _What the hell am I even meant to do?_ He thought as he stood next to Kai. He tentatively put his paw on Kai's shoulder and left it there. He felt stupid but as he went to remove it and make a sarcastic comment Kai put his hand on top of Rocket's.

'Thanks.' Kai said.

 _Huh is comforting people really that easy? Who knew!_ Rocket beamed to himself. He had no intention of being this nice on a frequent basis but it was good to mix things up occasionally. 

'I need to get some fresh air. Any habitable planets around?' Kai asked jokingly.

'Bound to be a few, let's head up and see what's about.' Feeling quite proud of himself Rocket led the way to the main deck as they checked the nav for planets they could stretch their legs on. They both knew they had to tell the rest of the Guardians what had come to light but right now they still had plenty of time and Kai seemed like he had a lot to work through so maybe some down time was what was needed. Peter was reluctant to go along with the idea but Rocket wasn't taking no for an answer and after all he still had some making up to do to his furry co pilot so he agreed. Rocket insisted Kai Sit up front with him which Peter really didn't like, grumbling about it being his ship, but a stern look from Gamora and he plonked himself down in a back seat with a huff. They engaged their boosters and blasted toward the jump point.

The planet that presented itself was quite earth like from a distance but had an almost purple tinge to the usual blue and green. A quick scan confirmed that the atmosphere was breathable, atmospheric pressure and gravity all checked out too so Rocket grabbed the controls and took them in to land. As he powered down and unclipped he caught Kai smiling at him. 

'What?' Rocket asked.

'Nothing really, just surprised you went to all this effort because I said I need some air.'

'Ah shut up you're making it weird.' Kai laughed and ruffled Rocket's head fur as he left the cockpit. 'That's gonna cost you!' As Kai turned he saw Rocket pounce. He stifled a cry as Rocket wrapped his arms round Kai's shoulders. Kai relaxed realising he wasn't in for a beating as Rocket laughed and told him to "mush!". Shifting his weight more central Kai was happy to carry him to the exit ramp. Seeing the look on his face, Rocket felt like Kai's troubles were already forgotten, even if he had shown himself up in front of the others. He shrugged at the thought and realised if they gave him a hard time he could leave them planet side as he flew away with Kai and Groot. 

\----- 

The host star was high in the sky but the planet some how maintained a pleasant temperature. A cool breeze blowing through the alien trees. They had set up camp on the edge of a clearing. Despite needing to be convinced this trip was a good idea everyone seemed to be in high spirits. Even Groot was out exploring a bit spending a fraction less time focused on his hand held game. 

'Well that's everything, so what do you guys wanna do?' Quill asked brightly. 

'I would face you all in hearty combat!' Drax proposed, raising a dagger in the air.

'Drax dude chill, try to relax and have fun.' Quill interjected.

'I have already mastered stillness and whilst I am also a master of combat I would prove it once more in the name of... fun.' Drax looked about, even Gamora didn't seem interested. 

'I'll go a few rounds with you.' All eyes turned to Kai as he spoke. 'Seriously I could do with the practice and I haven't seen the mighty Destroyer do much other than pass out from drink so far.'

'You will regret those words!' Despite the threat Drax leapt into the clearing daggers drawn and a joyful expression on his face and crazed eyes. You can't help the face you were born with. 

'You sure about this Kai?' Rocket asked having sat up from his lounging spot. 

'Yeah I think I'll be fine.' Kai stepped into the clearing and stretched a bit. 

'You will face your mightiest foe this day! One smaller than Peter will stand no chance in combat with the Destroyer!' As Drax finished speaking Kai gave a small smile and flexed. His cybernetics came to life and his muscles swelled like he had just finished a work out. It was impressive seeing the definition in his muscles almost double. Drax watched and ever so slightly dropped his confident look. 'Still an unarmed man...' Kai balled his firsts and the blades burst forward from his forearms. 

'You were saying?' Kai grinned back. Without anyone saying "go" Drax gave a battle cry and charged. Kai launched into the air twisted and landed behind Drax. Skidding to a stop he swung himself round and slashed high and low at Kai. Kai drifted back fractionally before the blades connected not even raising his guard. Frustrated Drax leapt forward bringing a dagger down that would have cleaved Kai in half if it connected, except he wasn't there anymore. Tucking into a roll straight under the big guy and springing to his feet. 'My turn!' Kai rushed in. His fighting style was strange to Drax. The position of the blades attached to his arms meant they moved in unexpected patterns. Drax was well versed in combat and adapted quickly. Although Kai's strikes landed fast and frequently Drax deflected them with ease. They were fast that was for sure but they were also light. Drax was not the smartest fighter though and kept charging like a bull. Gamora could see exactly what was happening. Kai was simply wearing the big guy out and it was working. Drax over extended on a swing and Kai shot forward instead of back and the dagger went flying out of his grasp. As he shifted his stance and came back around with the other it was all over, Kai had manipulated him near perfectly. He stepped under the strike while Drax was off balance and swept out his legs. The thud could be felt through the floor as Drax hit the deck but as he rolled over he was laughing loudly. 

'Facing this terran is like punching the rain.' He dusted himself off and got to his feet. 'You have bested me this day but hope we never face each other in true combat. I would certainly emerge victorious.' Drax smiled and slapped a heavy hand on Kai's shoulder as his blades retracted back into plates. They wandered back over to the shade. 

'Kai may I ask if it is true you can dodge shots fired from guns?' Asked Mantis shyly. Kai felt a bit awkward about this. As much as he was enjoying his time with the Guardians he was worried about revealing everything about himself. Rocket decided he would take the reigns on this one and simply stood up, pulled out his blaster pistol and fired at Kai. With his enhancements already active they automatically pulled him out of the way with well trained, fluid motions that by-passed his thought process. Mantis clapped her hands and gasped with delight seeing it.

'Rocket what the hell dude!' Kai shouted out of surprise. 

'What? They want a show so why not?' Rocket's eyes narrowed as a grin crept up the sides of his muzzle. Kai's eyes widened a little as he realised he was in for another barrage of shots. Kai was tired from the fight and this really wasn't fun anymore. He twisted and shifted himself avoiding the shots.

'Okay I think that's enough Rocket. I'm not a dancing monkey.' Kai said feeling a trickle of sweat coming down his forehead. 

'Yeah okay.' Rocket said putting his weapon back in it's holster. Kai sighed with relief but felt better seeing the looks on the Guardian's faces. Their reputation proceeded them. But him on the other hand still needed to prove his worth and this had gone some way in doing that. Even Gamora seemed a little impressed. Kai began powering down and wiped his forehead. 'But can you dodge this?' Rocket hefted his laser cannon onto his shoulder. Kai laughed and went to ignore it. It was too late by the time he heard the high pitch whine of the weapon powering and firing. Rocket's eyes went wide as he saw Kai bring his arms in front of his chest as the ball of energy smashed into him. He watched in horror as Kai went flying back landing hard and rolling to a stop in the dust. No one made a sound as they watched him lying there. Rocket dropped the weapon and took a few steps toward him. Kai pushed himself up using his hands but crumpled back into the floor. Rocket dropped on all fours and ran to his side. Panic surged through him. He was only messing around he didn't want to hurt Kai. _What have I done?!_ He thought as he pushed Kai's shoulder to try and turn him over. It looked like Kai was trying to whisper something. With mist building in his eyes Rocket leaned down to try and hear what he was saying. 'I can't... I can't understand what your saying.' His voice cracked as he spoke. 

'I... said... GOTCHA YOU LITTLE BASTARD!' Kai sprung to life and dragged the fur ball into the dirt with him. They scuffled around on the floor as the other Guardians went back to their spots, Gamora muttering something negative about boys under her breath. Poor Mantis had been quite shaken by the whole thing. 

'That's the last time I **pretend** to care about you!' Rocket yelled at Kai who was still laughing.

'I was the only one pretending handsome and we both know it!' Kai said gasping for air. He laughed so much his sides hurt, well it was the laughing and getting hit by an energy blast. 

'I am Groot.' Groot chipped in as they joined the others.

'You stay out of this, it's grown up talk.' Rocket barked back.

'There is nothing grown up about either of you.' Gamora said dryly. 

The rest of the afternoon cruised gently by with some calmer times. Occasionally Rocket would kick start an argument between Drax and Quill. Kai found it hilarious how easy they were to set off. They had such polarised opinions on everything it wasn't hard. Mostly it was just good to breath and relax on an actual planet with out any immediate threats. As evening drew closer they started a fire and as twilight was at it's peak the strange trees with their purple tint released silver dust into the gentle breeze. Groot stood up gazing at the spectacle with his mouth open in a smile as Quill slid his arm around Gamora. Mantis leaned into Drax... who immediately pushed her away, a little too hard as she fell on the floor with a squeak. Rocket saw this going on around him and gazed over to Kai who was lying on the floor behind the Guardians but still in the warm glow of the fire. Rocket scratched his neck feeling conflicted. He didn't really like the mushy stuff but maybe Kai was expecting him to go over? Who was he kidding he wanted to go over as well but he was making excuses so it didn't seem like it was what he wanted. As the arguments swirled in his head he heard light footsteps behind him.

'That seat taken?' Kai said as he sat down next to him. They sat there gazing as the silver dust swirled in the air reflecting the warm tones of the fading star light. Rocket leaned into Kai and without hesitation he wrapped his arm around Rocket and pulled him closer. They had a lot of things to figure out still but at least it seemed like they were on the right track. Rocket took a big, deep breath of the evening air and snuggled into Kai. As he watched the silver wind dance around the sky he thought to himself, _I hope that stuff ain't poisonous._

\-----


	14. In Return

'You have been playing us for fools!' Gamora had her sword drawn and held level at her target and a stormy looking Peter Quill standing by her side. Kai had explained the situation as they were close to the space port. Time had moved quickly during their down time and despite reminders from Rocket he hadn't found the right time to bring it up. Now they were just a single jump from their destination and the rest of the guardians had not taken the news in their stride. 

'I was under orders. I don't need to remind you that I'm not working for you. I work for myself.' Kai stood his ground and stared down Gamora. They were all being used, that's what you hire people for. Gamora was not as accepting of it as he was, mainly because they were the one's in the dark till now. 

'You may not work for us but you are a passenger on MY ship and you've put my crew in danger. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't space you right this second.' Quill was never normally this forceful but given the gravity of the situation and the sense of betrayal he felt justified.

'Cos you'll have a few extra holes in your face if you do!' Rocket had been watching off to the side as this all came to light. He didn't want to get involved but this was **his** human Peter was threatening. It was enough to get his hackles up and his favourite weapon pointed straight at his captain's face. Kai was surprised as Rocket got between them. They had agreed, talking in bed the night before, it was best for Kai to deal with this on his own. 

'You defend him now?! Have you no loyalty at all rodent?' Gamora spat at him. 

'Rodent?! That's it!' Rocket charged up the laser cannon. Gamora remembered being shot by this very weapon as they escaped the collapsing planet of Ego. She knew he was fully prepared to use it again. Sensing tensions getting too high and worrying about his ship being shot to pieces as well as the safety of Gamora, Quill stepped in.

'Okay! Enough! Weapons down everyone. Kai I want to speak to you alone. The rest of you out.' Quill managed to bring some authority to his voice and things calmed a little. 

'I ain't leaving you alone with him.' Rocket growled not shifting his position but lowering his weapon at least.

'Rocket just go check we're on course and stay at the controls.' Quill had no intention of attacking Kai. He remembered the choking he got a while back and didn't fancy his chances in such a confined space. 

'It's fine Rocky. Go keep an eye on things.' Kai spoke calmly trying to step lightly with his words so he wasn't rejecting Rocket's new found protective streak but also supporting Quill's decision to smooth the situation as much as possible. With a snort and one last glare at Peter he headed up to the cockpit. Quill sighed in relief as things went back to normal. He grabbed a drink and leaned against the table. Kai stood like a statue waiting for him to speak. 

'Right. So assuming everything you've told us is the truth what are we expecting when we arrive?' Quill realised they were backed into a corner. As much as he didn't want to trust Kai he had no other choice at this moment in time unless he wanted to abandon the assignment altogether. The thought crossed his mind but the idea of being three time galaxy savers was appealing. Even if this one wouldn't be the same public spectacle the first had been. Even the tales of defeating Ego had been spread by the Ravagers. Sure the details had evolved by now into half truths but it made them look even better that way. 

'When we arrive we will do so as discreetly as possible. I have arranged to meet someone who can provide a covert tracking device. From there we wait. Once the ship we are looking for is picked up on our scans I will place it. From that point we stay a few jumps behind them and discover where they are operating. Nova Prime has interrogated her affiliates within her ranks and confirmed she is the head of the operations and is not working with other groups. We can confirm this further by seeing where she goes from here. Her base of operations is truly a secret to everyone that was in HQ and there are no clues elsewhere.' Kai spoke with a level tone, a matter of fact manner. He had no intention of trying to charm his way through this. If Star Lord was not going for it he would simply take their smaller escape pod and use that to complete the remainder of this mission alone. Or perhaps die trying. Taking a long drink and considering this Peter finally spoke. 

'Fine but one of us goes with you. At this stage you've lost the trust of everyone on this ship and since you don't work for us then one of us will work along side you and keep an eye on you.' It was a fair compromise. 

'That's out of the question, you're all too high profile to be accompanying me. My vendor won't like it and we might be identified.' Being so well known had it's perks like a decent discount at bars and not much trouble from lesser criminals but on covert ops being celebrities had it's down side. 

'Well I'm not letting you just waltz around unsupervised for all I know you're working with this flower lady.' 

'Flower lady?' Kai asked.

'Lotus project or whatever it was.' Quill rambled. 

'I've given you full access to the files Peter you know that doesn't make sense. You might not trust me but you're dooming this mission to failure if you don't stand down.'

'What if one of us goes in disguise?' Peter thought out loud.

'Yeah because a seven foot red guy wearing shades is gonna throw everyone off? Come on be realistic.' They held each others gaze for a moment before dropping it thinking. Gamora was very identifiable, Peter too. Groot wasn't even worth thinking about. 

'Mantis!' They both exclaimed. She was perfect. Much lesser known than the others and with a heavy cloak on and a hood to hide her antenna she could blend into a crowd. She was also eager to please and good at following orders so Kai was much happier having her along. They discussed how to break it to her. Taking a lighter approach seemed the right way to go about it, they didn't want to overwhelm her. She was a tough cookie when she needed to be but they didn't want her to feel too pressured. They told her she would be accompanying Kai on a shopping trip. It wasn't exactly a lie either. She was bouncing for joy at the idea and took some talking to calm down. Bouncy and excited didn't really blend with the tone of black market transactions. She managed to reign it in but Kai couldn't help an amused warm smile creeping onto his face as Mantis gave him her game face and reaffirmed he could count on her help. 

\-----

They had left the bustle of the main streets behind them. This port was the size of a small moon, popular with junkers which attracted the black market denizens like scavengers to a corpse. The pair paused in an alley. Despite the fact she was following every piece of advice Kai had given he felt a weight bearing down on him emotionally from Mantis. He paused and gave her a look over. She seemed worried. 

'Is everything okay? We're not far now just wanna make sure you're up for this.' Kai asked as delicately as he could but wary that this was no game. 

'I am okay but this is not what I had expected.' Mantis said looking down a little lost and sad. 'Can you tell me the nature of this trip. Truly this time please.' Kai felt a pang of guilt that she had been led here based on her good nature and not by an informed choice. 

'I'm trading with a contact so we can acquire a tracking device. We need it to complete this mission and your captain no longer trusts me so wanted to have someone with me to make sure I'm not up to no good.' Kai couldn't help his blunt honestly. She deserved that much. She was the only one to be friendly to him from the start and he had batted it away, mocking her internally for being so naive and trusting. With hindsight it felt cruel. She was so much better than the majority of the people in this universe and considering what he had learned of her life up until this point she would have been justified in being cruel and cold hearted. 

'You are not trusted because you hide things.' She said it matter of factly but stared at the floor. 

'You're afraid of this place aren't you?' Kai asked.

'No.' Mantis replied. Kai thought for a moment. 

'You're afraid of me?' He asked instead. 

'If you are not on our side you may have lured me here on purpose.' Kai's heart sank at those words. Peter and Gamora didn't trust him. Drax... well Drax hadn't been paying attention to anything as far as Kai had seen so he probably didn't have an opinion and now Mantis thought he had lured her here to assassinate her. Kai pulled up his sleeve and pushed his thoughts aside. 

'You're an empath so tell me what you see.' Mantis tentatively reached out her hand to touch his exposed forearm. Kai couldn't see her face properly as she was wearing a large hood. It seemed as though her shoulders dropped. She slowly removed her hand but before Kai could ask her what she had felt she was hugging him. 

'You are disappointed and sad.' Kai awkwardly patted her on the back and then eased her away from him. 

'So are we good? I'm not gonna harm you. Now these guys are a bit rough but we need to have each others' back in this okay?' Kai smiled at her. She had this adorable fierceness to her as she met his gaze. 'Stay behind me and let me do the talking and we'll be fine.' They left the alley and approached the meeting point for the exchange. 

\-----

They waited at the right spot for a little while. Kai was getting anxious but kept his nerve for Mantis' sake reassuring her this was normal. Eventually a trio of figures came wandering into the abandoned space they agreed to make the transaction. 

'Well if it isn't my favourite little Shadow! And you brought a friend! How lovely.' A smarmy little creature with two goons at his side stepped into the hazy light. 

'Let's skip the formalities shall we? Did you bring the tracker?' Kai spoke with as much authority he could muster as he stepped forward trying to obscure this creep's view of Mantis. 

'Always so stale my old friend! No I don't have it with me. I wasn't born yesterday. You come with me to my storage space and we'll negotiate there.' That wasn't what they wanted to hear. This was complicating matters.

'No deal, we're walking. I'll give my units to someone else.' Kai put his hand on Mantis's shoulder and began to walk. He didn't mess around in these situations. 

'That's a shame I thought this might be easier.' The little guy sneered at Kai. It was enough to make his skin crawl. It was time to leave this place and fast. As Kai went to engage his synthetic enhancements though he was horrified to find himself swaying on the spot instead. 'What's the matter? Something wrong with your shiny parts you worthless half-breed?!' The trio laughed as Kai felt nausea surge through him. He glanced around and felt so stupid, he was standing in the midst of a displacement field. It's current completely disabling his inner workings. He had felt a cloudiness in his mind but he put it down to waiting around and general anxiety from the delay of their meeting. Pathetically he dropped to his knees and retched. 'I actually did have what you were after.' Kai managed to look up and sure enough the tracker they were after was in his hands. 'But when we last spoke you decided to hang up on me. I only wanted you to fix a few parts but you got so worked up about me insulting that stupid little monster Rocket.' Kai gritted his teeth as rage flowed through his nausea at the mention of it. He had almost forgotten his conversation with this guy on the first evening aboard the _Benatar_. 'I've paid you well every job and you decide you can just say no? To me?! I own you! It's time you learned that you're my property. I give you the jobs, I give you the contacts and I say when you breath, eat and everything else from now on. I tried being nice I really did but apparently you thought being nice meant you had a god damned say in this line of work.' With every point he jabbed the business end of an electroshock baton into Kai. Mantis watched this happen wanting to help but knowing she needed to keep her nerve a little longer. If he could just step close enough to touch. 

'Actually you don't get a fucking opinion anymore. He's mine.' Kai knew that voice. He was too sick and hurt to think straight. He was only vaguely aware of bright flashes and loud sounds. All of a sudden the nausea dissipated and he started to come to his senses. Rocket was staring him in the face. He had followed them from the ship. When he saw the deal going wrong he obliterated the two goons. As the angry little ring leader had drawn his weapon Mantis stepped in and filled him with so much fear the poor scum bag had actually wet himself. Seeing someone else try to claim ownership of Kai had left no room for forgiveness in Rocket's heart and the space for that was miniscule to begin with. He fired a few too many rounds into the guy until he finally stopped twitching. All Rocket could see was red. Kai was his. No one else's. He shifted his weapon on his back and helped Kai stand with Mantis on his other side. 

'What are you doing here?' Kai asked when he got his breath. 

'Looking after you isn't it obvious?' Rocket replied. The situation pulled into focus for Kai. He looked at the remains of the thugs on the floor. It was a mess. He needed to speak to Rocket about that scene but right now was not the time. 

'You need to get out of here. People will recognise you.' Mantis picked up the the tracking device and put it in her pack. Rocket was still holding onto Kai not moving. 'I'm fine, you need to get out of here.' Kai could hear people coming to see what the commotion was all about. 

'Fine but I'm not going far.' Rocket activated his aero-rig and landed on the edge of the building. In this environment he was hard to spot up there dashing along the roof tops. Kai was impressed that none of them had spotted him on their way here. Mantis took his arm and they lumbered away from the the few people that were beginning to arrive at the scene. 

\-----

Kai and Mantis boarded the _Benatar_ after making extra sure no one was following them. They doubled back and weaved through the port pausing and waiting to see if anyone was around before finally feeling secure enough to return. As they got to the top of the ramp they were greeted by the rest of the crew. There had been no ship yet that matched the signature that Kai had isolated from the data they stole from Nova HQ. There was no telling when she might arrive though. Kai asked if Rocket had returned and Quill told him he had stormed in and gone straight to his work shop in a foul mood. Kai asked the others to check the Tracking device was actually what they were after and then headed to Rocket's work shop. It was empty. He checked his room but again it didn't have anyone in there. Still sore he headed to his own room in defeat. Pulling off his overcoat and undoing his armoured vest at the same time he wandered into his room. To his surprise there was Rocket. Sitting on his bed. Flash backs from a time not too long ago flickered in his mind when he had wished he would open his door to see this guy waiting for him. Kai dropped his stuff on his desk and turned as Rocket spoke. 

'So let me guess you're done with me right?' Rocket asked without looking up from the floor. Kai wandered over and sat down next to him. 

'What are you talking about?' Kai asked as he went to put his arm around Rocket's shoulders. He pushed the arm away and stood up. 'What's wrong with you?' Kai asked.

'Oh so something's wrong with me now huh? Look just get to it, I don't wanna waste anymore time on this stupid thing we got okay?' Rocket was trying to sound his usual dismissive self but it was off by a mile. He wouldn't look at Kai and he was choking on his words. 

'I was an idiot and I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there for me.' Kai shook his head, so grateful for what Rocket had done. Rocket's ears perked up hearing this. 'Now you wanna tell me what's going on in your head? I can't read minds Rocky.' Kai dropped the pet name in there to try and soften the request. He didn't understand the hostility in the air.

'You're not mad?' Rocket asked confused. He half turned to look at Kai and he saw the scared look in Rocket's eyes. 

'Why would I be mad?' Kai hated he couldn't understand what Rocket was feeling right now.

'I killed them.' Kai thought about it. He dragged the memories back into his mind. They were scattered because of his disorientation at the time but now he was back to himself his neural network could piece the information back into an order that made sense. Rocket hadn't simply killed them. _He's mine_ echoed through Kai's mind. 

'Right. Because you own me not that guy or anyone else right?' Rocket went back to looking at the floor. 

'I can't help it. I just look at you and I hated everything he was saying. I lost it.' Rocket brought his paws to his face. This was all too much for him. Kai was his. But he wasn't a possession. But he felt something like that. As the conflicting thoughts bounced around in his head he felt familiar hands encompassing his paws. Gently taking hold of them and easing them away from tearing at his face. 

'Look I don't belong to you. But part of me does.' Rocket looked Kai in the eyes. There was a look that expressed something Rocket was unfamiliar with. 'Why did you follow us?' Kai asked.

'Well... I didn't like the idea of you going off and I knew you were gonna get yourself hurt or... not that you can't look after yourself but I needed to make sure.' Rocket was so confused. He didn't stop to ask why, it was an impulse. Kai brought one of Rocket's paws to rest on his chest. 

'This part of me belongs to you. Only you. No one else.' Kai brought his other hand up to Rocket's face. 'And I get to have that part of you in return. It's called love Rocket. I love you.' Rocket couldn't breath. The shock and fear he felt was like a deer in head lights. Was that why he was acting so crazy lately? Every time Quill spoke to Kai he'd get in a bad mood. If Drax got too close. It was all falling into place. Rocket hadn't felt this before. Young love. With all it's perfect imperfections. The rushes of joy were easy to understand but the fear that it might not be mutual, having to accept there was no contract to sign or irrefutable proof that the other felt the same way. Those are the ingredients for insanity alright. Possessive, irrational and beautiful all at the same time until acceptance makes it grand entrance. Trust wasn't Rocket's strongest quality, hell he down right rejected the idea that trust was any sort of way to run your life. Those three words though. He believed them. Those annoying little voices still mocked and belittled the idea that he had found someone he could trust with his feelings. But it was right there. It wasn't the words, it wasn't anything tangible, it was an undeniable feeling that seemed to finally unlock that hidden part of himself. Those three little words that changed his perspective on the universe. Not going day to day only surviving in this god forsaken universe but maybe having someone else there to ease the burden. Kai was waiting and waiting for an answer as Rocket stared at him. Mouth slightly open with his hand still over Kai's heart. His eyes staring at the same spot. Slowly they drifted upward to meet Kai's gaze.

'I... I love you too? I love you too. I love you...' Rocket crumpled. Everything he had been holding in without realising it let itself go. He was finally starting to break out from the prison of his own making. As the cracks started forming in the walls of isolation a warm and inviting feeling that was completely alien surrounded him. He opened his eyes, blinked away the blur and realised he was surrounded by something else too. The arms of the guy he loved. A guy that loved him in return. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a crazy busy few weeks for me so I'm sorry this chapter is going out a bit late. As always hope you guys enjoy and have a great holiday period, might post next Friday but no promises, it is Christmas after all. Till next time :3


	15. A Million Miles Away

Having given it a few tests Gamora authenticated the tracking device. It was exactly what they needed. They had gathered on the main deck to keep everyone on the same page. Kai stepped up to the device and flicked through the results of Gamora's testing, just to be certain, to her mild annoyance. 

'Yup that all checks out, good job.' Kai said without making eye contact. They weren't going to be friends any time soon so he was trying to be polite and distant right now. 

'I still don't see why Rocket couldn't throw something like this together.' Quill threw out in the open. Kai and a few of the others turned to Rocket waiting for a response but he was on another planet at that moment. His mind was wandering far away trying to work through the epiphany of being in love and everything this might mean. Slowly he began to be pulled back to the present by someone saying his name. 

'Rocket? Hey you in there?' Quill asked again a confused look on his face. Rocket glanced around and saw concern on Gamora's face but a reassuring look from Kai. He was the only one who got what was happening. 

'What?' Rocket asked bluntly with annoyance.

'Why couldn't you just... you know whip something up like this? Could have avoided all the trouble it cost.' Quill asked again. 

'Because **moron** this device is made of rare elements. You got palladium, radioactive substances and a bunch of other hard to come by stuff. If we had all that lying around I could easily throw something like this together, 'cept mine would be better. It's not a case of being able to it's the materials idiot.' Rocket hopped off the box he was sitting on and took a closer look at the device before snorting in what could only be described as being thoroughly unimpressed. 

'Right well that makes sense I guess.' Quill said much quieter.

'Oh does it? I'm so glad to have explained it so simply you could keep up Star Munch.' Rocket wandered over to another access point and checked up on their scans. There had still been no sign of the ship they were looking for. 

'I told you to stop calling me that!' Peter protested.

'I will when you stop acting like it.' This earned a small laugh from some of the others as Quill huffed and threw his hands up exasperated. Rocket kept tapping away at their feed checking there wasn't any interference that would mask the signature they were looking for. It was all clear. 

'At least I didn't go shooting people to pieces, lucky the whole station doesn't know we're here.' Peter retorted. Rocket had gone back to that other world though and only mumbled a response that no one could decipher. 

'It shouldn't actually draw much attention. On a port like this deals go bad all the time. There might be some back lash later but right now the rest of his crew will be lying low and trying to figure out what happened.' Kai knew these people well. He was hired on many occasions to settle feuds and exact revenge for bad deals in the past. He had worked for the dead dealer specifically for a long while but mostly as a tech specialist. He was always being pressured back into more violent work though which was why he was glad when he was contacted by the Nova for some more honest work. 'We just need to wait for our target and I'll get to business.' Kai said as he noticed Rocket was absentmindedly wandering out of the room without a word. Kai followed him. 

'Hey you alright?' Kai asked once they were out of earshot of the others. 

'Huh? Oh yeah... I mean, no.' Rocket seemed like he was drowning in his thoughts. 

'Do you wanna talk about it?' Kai asked tentatively. Rocket gave a small laugh. 'What?'

'I would have told anyone else to screw off.' Kai took it as the heavy compliment it was. 'I need to think things through alright?' The words were torture for Kai to hear but the look on Rocket's face made it clear that Kai was only going to hinder the processing. He reluctantly backed off and left Rocket to figure things out and hoped that he wasn't having second thoughts. Kai pushed it from his mind and headed to his own room. He needed to check through his system to make sure the displacement field hadn't caused any damage. He needed all system operational if he was going stealth mode soon. 

\-----

'So you have no reason not to trust him?' Peter asked Mantis after her explanation of what happened. 

'Why would we not trust him, he has proven himself in battle and in our hearts.' Drax asked sounding wounded at such a statement. 

'Drax he lied to us and hid files vital for the mission.' Gamora said.

'When did he do such things?!' Drax replied surprised.

'Why do you never listen!' Gamora was done with his shit and threw the nearest object she could grab at him.

'I prefer to think of other things, your talk is extremely boring.' He mumbled and returned to munching on some snacks. Eyes turned to Mantis eluding back to Peter's original question.

'No there is no reason not to trust him. He conceals things as is his nature, but his intentions are true.' Mantis stroked her arm awkwardly as she could feel the continued suspicion from the two guardians. She could only explain the situation as she experienced it though and her power as an empath was sometimes more useful than telepathy to find the route source of someone's intention. As Peter and Gamora begrudgingly seemed to be accepting that although they had been manipulated and lied to, Kai seemed to be on their side of things. Right on cue the holo screen came to life indicating confirmation the ship they were looking for was docked in the space station. Several information streams from one of the terminals further away on the space station had lit up with the signature coding. It had docked some distance from them but still within range if travelling on foot. It was the same place they always docked, sloppy behaviour. She had obviously become too comfortable with her allies in the corps covering her tracks. 

'Kai, Rocket. Need you up on deck it's showtime.' Quill announced over the coms.

\-----

Kai had made his way through the busiest streets taking his time, concealed in a heavy outer layer to hide his dark combat gear. He had gone for his best lightweight gear, offering maximum protection whilst remaining covert enough to go unnoticed. He had read through the reports of the dock worker being torn apart and also considered this adversary was essentially him on steroids as far as he knew. She had been upgrading herself and worked with the same team but their origins were completely different as far as he was aware throwing a big question mark into the air. It was rare for Kai to enter into a dangerous territory so woefully unprepared in terms of information but he kept reminding himself he was not there to engage, only to place the device and leave. He couldn't help but know if he was discovered it would be him against the world. After Rocket's shenanigans at the deal he was extra cautious to check none of the guardians had followed him this time. For the first time in a long time he felt like he was back up to standard, minimising risks and striving for perfection. 

The hustle and bustle of the crowds died down and he wandered into an alley. Forcing his senses to maximum and activating his proximity detection he confirmed that there was no one around and the interface device gave him a subtle green flash to reassure him. He threw off the baggy outer layers and let his augments surge to life. Looking up and squaring himself he leapt up to the second floor of a run down building silently clasping the metal sill of a window and using it boost him up onto the roof. At the corner of the building he crouched and surveyed choosing the best path. With one last deep breath he switched to stealth mode. No more flashes or information from the small screen, he had to be alert to his inner self now. He launched across the buildings, hugging shadows and finding cover when the odd craft flew over his position. 

Before long he could see the ship. It looked like an old junker to the untrained eye but it was really a shell covering the advanced inner workings. Patience. Lots of patience as Kai stayed hidden. It took a long time but he had a good feel for the coming and going of people around the ship. Straining his hearing he could identify the occasional screech of the augmented creatures on board. It was heavily concealed though as if they were kept in a sound reducing area. It suddenly made sense why the ship was bulky. Seems Project Lotus didn't go anywhere without a small contingent of her deadly creatures. Kai slowly made his way across the platforms. There was one that went out close enough to reach his target. Like a spider he leapt and twisted underneath the platform and began crawling along, almost defying gravity. Having attached a cable to the platform he paused. This was being overly cautious, he was just hesitating now. He berated himself and sprung. Closing the gap easily he turned in the air and landed like a cat near the main hull of the ship. Without thinking he took tools out to loosen an outer panel creating a space for the tracking device. Less than a minute later it was active and the panel was sealed back into place. That minute felt like hours though and Kai was sure Rocket would have had it done in under ten seconds. No time to obsess over being second rate though, he jumped and activated the retractor to bring him back to the platform. 

With one last cursory glance Kai was about to leave when yellow light began flooding the access ramp and surrounding area to the ship. He couldn't pull himself away. Laying flat to the roof he had to see if she was coming out. The ramp lowered and crunched as it hit the platform of the dock. Kai tapped through options on his Interface device as he cranked his augments to zone in on that area. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest as seconds dragged on until eventually she stepped into the light. She was tall and slim but out of proportion. Her legs were too long and her limbs lithe to the point of almost being a caricature. He hair was a platinum shade and her complexion eerily pale. 

'It's been too long and I am growing tired of your stupidity!' The augmented woman roared at a small male alien as she swaggered down the ramp. He was squat and had a panicky disposition. It was hard to tell what species as he seemed to be wearing a ventilator and large mask. 

'Without going there I do not know how we can check my lady, I'm sorry.' He cowered as she swung round to face him. 

'Then go there and find out.' She seethed with rage. 

'But, but my lady if I go to Xandar I could give away everything! It would endanger you to do so.' To this she gave a shrill laugh and Kai frowned as it reached a pitch that was clearly mechanical. A quick check confirmed her voice wasn't organic. It was incredibly good quality but it was a replication of what Kai imagined might have been her voice before. Kai shuddered wondering how much of the original woman was left. 

'Let the Nova come, they will see I'm no longer a stray creature to be thrown out.' She paused and turned taking on a sudden change of focus. She looked out into the dock scanning. Kai's system kicked in and in his head it was like sirens were going off. He slid back and out of sight. He edged back into view but could only see the odd little alien on the entrance ramp to their ship. 'Where is everyone? I want the supplies loaded immediately!' Kai calmed as the voice was further away now. The small guy jumped to action on the ramp and bumbled after his mistress. Not risking anything further Kai made his way back without any problems. All the way he felt a growing discomfort that she didn't seem like a real person anymore. He needed to run data scans properly but he had a bad feeling about what they would reveal about their adversary. His job was done though and for now they only needed to sit back and follow from a distance. Something finally seemed to have gone right on this mission and Kai grunted in amusement at the thought it was also the first time he had done something on his own. 

\-----

They followed the ship through the quadrant for days. It was tedious work having to take turns round the clock. Everyone else was on down time and Rocket had taken the graveyard shift. He had been keeping to himself and still felt lost. He gazed out at the stars and gave a big sigh. He was out of his depth and desperately wanted to shoot something or blow something up. Fun things that made complete sense to him. He wished they could end this covert crap and simply go blow the ship up. He looked at the tracker and calculated in his mind to a crazy degree of accuracy how long it would take to close in on the ship. Arguably there was enough time to pull off the manoeuvre before the others woke and tried to interrupt him. Just blow that thing to pieces, collect their money and go drink the world away. Yeah that sounded like a good idea. His paws twitched toward to the controls. It would be so easy. This was basically his ship as well. Why were the two humies calling the shots anyway? He was way smarter than they were. As he wrestled with the idea and his temptations he heard footsteps leading to the cockpit. Letting go of his rogue plans he took his paws away from the controls. He stretched surprised his shift had gone so fast. 

'Bit early Gamora, eager to take over or don't you trust me?' Rocket asked. 

'Do I look like Gamora? And if you say yes I'm telling Quill to take you off watch duty permanently.' Kai said sliding into a chair next to Rocket's. He swivelled round and handed Rocket a cup of hot coffee. 'Thought you might appreciate this.' Rocket took the drink silently. Kai didn't say anything just looked out at the giant expanse. One thing the two had in common was an undying appreciation for this view, even if it was for different reasons. 

'Why you here?' Rocket mumbled.

'Couldn't sleep.' Kai replied. He wasn't here to do the talking. The truth was Rocket's distant behaviour was playing havoc in his mind. He was a practical man. If there was a problem he needed to solve it. This wasn't an easy fix though, in fact he didn't even know how to fix it. It was these thoughts that had him shifting positions in bed, restless and unable to sleep. He even had his interface device release sedative but it only earned him a lousy hour of unsatisfying unconsciousness. He would be doing more harm than good by sedating himself further. Eventually he decided to go be with Rocket on watch. At least there was a chance of getting more info that way and he wasn't getting any rest no matter what he chose. Rocket hadn't slept much either which was why he had taken the longest night watch for the second time in a row. Rocket sighed looking at Kai staring out the window as he realised he wasn't going to elaborate without encouragement. 

'So what were you thinking about before I got here?' Kai asked. 

'I was thinking I could jump to her ship and blow her to pieces instead of wasting my life out here staring at a screen.' Rocket confessed. Kai chuckled. 

'That would have been a big mistake.' He replied. 

'Oh? And why is that exactly? We could have just got the drop on her when she landed before.' 

'Rocket you're a smart guy but you always react too fast to stuff. I went through the data from seeing her on the port. No organic matter. It was a machine.' Kai explained.

'So I use some bigger explosives, she can't be that tough.' Rocket said putting his drink down and crossing his arms with a huff leaning back in the seat. 

'You don't get it. The reason she is broadcasting this signal everywhere she goes is because that's not her. She's projecting into the machine. I don't have all the answers but if we attack what ever is on that ship she'll know and could disappear. All our work would be undone.' Rocket looked away. He had kept so isolated and been distracted in their meetings he didn't know any of this. He was unravelling and he hated it. The silence dragged a bit and Kai began to feel like this was a mistake. He got up and put his hand on Rocket's shoulder as he walked past. 'I'll leave you to it.' 

'Don't.' Rocket said. It more slipped out than anything. 

'Don't what?' Kai turned. 

'Urgh can you just stay. You said yourself you ain't sleeping anyway.' Kai smiled and sat back down looking at Rocket. 

'If I'm staying it'll cost you.' Rocket gave his most unimpressed look. 'Look I wanna know what you've been thinking about, it's driving me crazy too you know.' Rocket tried to gather his thoughts but it was tough. 

'What do you wanna know?' He asked.

'Well has anything changed since I told you I love you.' Kai had a strange combination of feeling pride and awkwardness saying it. It was still new to him too. 

'I don't know. It's like when we're after a bounty. It's exciting and new and then we get the guy drop them off and we're onto the next thing. 'Cept with this I got the guy and now I don't know what to do.' As kai let the words sink in it struck him that Rocket was analysing this situation a lot deeper than he was. He never stopped to think "what next" he was simply carrying on with things. He also didn't like the implications of how Rocket phrased it. 

'Okay so you don't want this anymore, you don't want me anymore? You want to move on to the next guy. Is that what you're saying?' Kai asked feeling his pride getting torn apart. 

'No! No, that's not it.' Rocket replied fast and panicked. 

'So you still want to be with me then?' Kai asked confused. 

'Yes, but I don't get what that means or how to do that exactly.' Rocket said feeling hopeless. 

'Have you tried not thinking about it and maybe just doing it? Like life as normal but I'm part of it?' Kai didn't realise he was getting worked up over the semantics of being close to someone.

'You make it sound so frickin simple.' Rocket replied annoyed.

'And you make it sound more complicated than it is.' Kai replied. 'Right now we've got nothing to do except keep an eye on the tracker so how about you stop over thinking all of this. You can keep an eye on things over there or... you could come over here and keep an eye on things just as well.' Rocket raised an eye brow and looked over at the suggestive smile on Kai's face. He couldn't help a smile of his own as he slid off the seat and climbed into Kai's lap.

'You happy now?' He asked rolling his eyes. 

'Happier than I've been in days.' Kai said pulling Rocket into his chest. Taking in the familiar scent and leaning into Kai, Rocket silently agreed with him. They both eased back and Kai absentmindedly brought his hand up to play with Rocket's ears. 

'Do you have to?' Rocket protested with out any conviction. 

'No but I'm gonna anyway.' Kai said in a playful tone. 'This doesn't need to be complicated Rocky. This is all I want. I can't stand being in the same room as you though and feeling like I'm a million miles away.' Rocket thought about this as Kai continued to massage his ears. After a little while Kai's hand came back down to rest on Rocket's leg.

'I'll try to work on it.' Rocket promised. Kai leaned down and kissed his muzzle. That was all he needed to hear. Rocket had to admit this stupid job all of a sudden seemed like a great way to spend hours of his time. Maybe this love thing had it's benefits after all. There were certainly worse places to be than sitting together staring at the stars, the holo display blinking away beside them as the ship continued to drift through the vast vacuum of space. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real Chapter 15 and sorry it's being posted a day late, I might have over indulged on new years eve and paid for it the following day. No regrets haha 
> 
> A very happy new year to everyone and thank you for all the support last year, it really is appreciated.


	16. As You Command

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, hope the new year is getting off to a good start for you all. I'm back on top of things for the most part in my personal life so I'll be forging ahead with this fan fic, which I'm super excited about, I should have plenty more time to spend on this over the next few weeks at least! Keep safe and enjoy the latest chapter, as always thanks for the continued support <3 =^_^=

The hours ticked by and Kai found it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. He glanced over to the tracker. The ship had been stationary for a long while now. He wondered if they might be at their journeys end but it didn't feel right. He didn't have the mental energy left to put any real thought into it and sighed. He looked down at Rocket slumped against his chest. He was breathing calmly and slowly. He had his fingers through one of the belt loops on Kai's trousers. It made him smile, subtle paranoia that he might wake up alone without an insurance policy. It was nice and warm cuddled together despite the chill in the cockpit. He heard foot steps coming from behind and rotated the chair slightly to get a look. It was Gamora. She paused ever so slightly upon seeing Kai who brought a finger to his lips to make sure they didn't wake Rocket. 

'I had wondered if he was up for another night shift.' Gamora muttered, touching the screens and getting up to speed on what had occured since her last watch. 

'I think he would have been fine without my interference. Strange expression isn't it?' Kai replied keeping his voice low. 

'What is?' Gamora replied without looking at him. 

'Night shift. Nothing but darkness out here and no solar orbit to measure but we still call it a night shift.' Kai replied. He didn't normally engage in small talk but he was tired and his thoughts were spilling out of his mouth. Gamora just made a noise of acknowledgment and remained fixated on the holo screens. 'You happy to take over or you need a few minutes?' He asked. 

'I will be fine.' She replied curtly. Kai gently lifted Rocket, he was completely out of it and only gave a small murmur. 'Why him?' Gamora asked finally turning to Kai and nodding at Rocket. 

'Why not?' Kai asked.

'That is not an answer.' She said pushing her chin out and squaring her shoulder. 

'Before my deception you didn't seem to have an issue.' Kai wasn't going to be intimidated, even is she was one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy.

'Loyalty. He's my family. That is why I have an issue.' 

'Hmm. Those are things you have had issue defining in the past aren't they? I could give you a thousand reasons justifying why him.' Kai said looking down at the sleeping guardian. 'But the only one that matters is I believe we belong together. That's all that should matter.' Kai finished speaking and walked away. Gamora was left unsatisfied with his answer but it wasn't the time or the place. They were barely speaking anyway, it would take time for those conversations to take place and right now their time and focus was on concluding their mission. 

\-----

Kai gently set Rocket down on his bed. He opened his sleepy eyes a little and looked about as Kai slid his arms from under him. 

'Wus going on?' He asked scratching the flat fur on one side of his face. 

'Nothing, you fell asleep on watch but Gamora has taken over. You can go back to sleep.' Kai felt the crushing weight of tiredness pulling him down. 'You mind if I sleep here with you?' He only asked as they has been spending time apart for several nights. He didn't want to assume that based on their conversation he had the given right to stay.

'Tha's stupid.' Kai felt a sting of disappointment but got up to leave. 'You stay... don't wanna be alone anymore...' Rocket was almost asleep again, the words sounded as though he was dreaming. Kai watched his face scrunch up, he looked so sad pulling the covers to his chest until his muzzle fell open a little and light snoring began. Within seconds he was back to sleep and his face relaxed. Poor guy must have not gotten any sleep in a while. Kai took off his boots and eased himself onto the bed before wrapping his arm round Rocket. _You and me both_ Kai thought as he finally let himself crash out. 

\------

The crew were all gathered on the main deck. The path of the tracker was up on the holo display. It had moved quite a great deal since Gamora had taken over the watch. As Rocket and Kai entered the room they were greeted with concerned faces and a tense atmosphere. 

'Jeez someone die while I was out or what?' Rocket said to the room as he took in the scene. 

'No but we need to decide what we do next. Gamora and I can't agree so it's going to a vote.' Quill said trying to sound neutral but it was clear they had been arguing for some time about this. 

'What are the options then?' Kai asked taking a seat. 

'Well the tracker stayed in place on this moon for a long time so I wanna go find out what was so interesting there. We all agreed that if they stayed there much longer we must have found their base but when they took off they weren't heading back to any port or any area they have been on their way there so I think we can agree it's probably not their main center of operation but it's still worth checking out. That's what I, the captain, think we should do.' Quill said crossing his arms and shooting Gamora a look at the end. 

'And I think it's unnecessarily risky and could reveal us if we go poking around. We should continue to follow the ship and stay focused on the ultimate goal here.' Gamora had a point, it would be risky to investigate. If things went wrong it could give them away. If their enemy located the tracker it would set them back to zero.

'But even if we do reveal ourselves someone on that moon is bound to be able to lead us to the base!' Quill insisted.

'You don't know that!' Gamora shouted in frustration. 

'How come we don't argue like that?' Rocket asked Kai.

'Give it time.' Kai responded dryly. 'Considering how long they were stationary I think it might be worth at least taking a look.' Kai responded.

'Thank you!' Quill exclaimed.

'You don't get a vote in this.' Gamora spat at Kai. 

'Hey back off Gamora, even if he doesn't get a vote I agree so he can have mine.' Rocket held his paw up to Kai without looking and Kai high fived him. 

'I am simply tired of doing nothing. I wish for glorious victory not skulking through space like cowards.' Drax grumbled. Mantis took half a step forward to voice her opinion as Peter drowned her out. 

'Great! So it's settled we'll swing by, take some long range scans and see what's happening before checking out what ever is down there.' Peter began to head up to the cockpit with a childish grin and a skip in his step. 

'Quill! Mantis was about to speak. She is a valued team member do not walk away.' Drax said pushing Mantis forward a step or two. 

'Sorry Mantis, go ahead.' Peter said feeling a bit bad. 

'It is fine, I was simply going to say I am also on board with checking out this moon.' Mantis said with a smile. 

'That added nothing to our discussion.' Drax declared and walked off. Rocket gave a short bark of a laugh prompting Kai to give him a shove. Mantis looked down at the floor feeling self conscious. 

'Sure it did, I might not get a vote but you're a guardian just as much as the rest of these guys Mantis, good for you making your voice heard.' Kai tried to reassure her. Sure she only had her voice heard because Drax forced the issue but it felt wrong to not give her a little boost. Kai again felt that pang of emotion telling him he was getting progressively more soft. It didn't feel like such a bad thing after seeing Mantis perk up again. Gamora, out voted, stalked off as Peter looked after her knowing this would come back to bite him soon enough. 

'Hey Mantis why don't you give me a hand plotting a course, you need to get a bit more practice.' Peter said to her delight. She gave a little squeal and headed to the cockpit without a second thought. 

'How long till we arrive you think?' Kai asked Peter.

'Dunno not long.' he replied. 

'Not long? Real specific there **Captain**.' Rocket said sarcastically as he tapped away at the display in front of them. 'Assuming Mantis doesn't fly us into a black hole... 35 minutes, let's go grab some food.' Rocket said to Kai hearing his stomach growl. 

\-----

The moon was fairly arid with sweeping deserts and huge rock formations dominated a large band of the equator with a slightly more hospital looking northern hemisphere. They had located a sizeable structure within the habitable zone. They brought the ship in to land, Mantis proud and serious acting as Co-pilot. She was learning very quickly considering her sheltered up bringing and Peter was very patient with her. Rocket couldn't help vocalising his emotions when ever she was doing something wrong. Gamora was already in a foul mood and silenced his unhelpful noises. 

The ship landed in a clearing, coming in low from the far side of a rock formation to remain as hidden as possible. They were all suited and ready for action on the approach. Despite choosing a path that should have kept them concealed if the base had advanced detection systems they needed to move fast. 

Peter and Kai crouched on the edge of a rocky out crop above the facility. Looking down they had identified a good access point. They abseiled down the cliff face and Rocket entered into a vent they prized open. Minutes ticked by as they kept look out until eventually an access door to the side of the building opened. Rocket's voice came over the comms and they snuck inside. It was dark. Metal corridors with low red lighting illuminated the walkway. Various rooms came off the narrow path and they peered into the windows as they went. Most rooms were dark but the few rooms that had some illumination had grim scenes. Blood splatters and mangled steel tables some with tools strewn on the floor. It seemed like they had entered into an area that hadn't been used recently. They could see yellow light ahead. As they rounded the corner they were greeted with another corridor but this had bright lighting and one wall was made of clear glass. They approached with caution and looked down. Lower down they could see pen after pen with the bug creatures they had met on Knowhere. These specimens however had not been augmented yet. Some were giving off guttural screeches, potentially communicating with the others in a beastly way. Others were crumpled on the floor seemingly unable to stand. There were so very many of them. There were three levels and the space stretched out for a hundred meters or more. They pulled back. 

'This must be a production facility. Good thing we didn't waste time on their home world. Doubt we would have found anything. So what's the next move?' Peter was looking at Gamora no doubt trying to make up for earlier. 

'We cannot leave them here like this. It's barbaric.' There was anger in her voice. 

'If we bust them out though I'm pretty sure it might tip off who ever is running this operation.' Peter shrugged his shoulders. 

'Rocket can you cut communications from this place?' Gamora asked. 

'Yeah with my eyes closed.' He snorted in reply. 

They made their way forward and came across more rooms but these were better kept. They managed to find an access point and Rocket got to work. 

'It's no good this place is basic.' Rocket grumbled. 

'Isn't basic a good thing?' Quill asked confused. 

'I mean half this place isn't even online, I need to get to the operations room to turn things off manually.' Rocket replied.

'Manually?' Quill asked incredulously. 

'I told you, this place is made from junk.' 

They made their way forward cautiously. They were working blind and were getting more and more agitated by the fact they had not come across another soul so far. Rocket periodically checked the wiring that guided them to the main control room. The lights were on but no one was home. They were beginning to feel very uncomfortable. 

Rocket disabled all communications and tried to get some idea of the lay out of the place but it was all archaic tech. Manually operated crane systems seemed to move the crates containing the creatures, the feed systems were automated. The place was designed to be run by a skeleton staff. That explained why they hadn't seen anyone. They eventually found a file with the layout of the facility and moved out. They made their way through the maze of corridors and wound up at the bottom level walking through the cavernous space with three levels of cages stacked up twenty meters apart. It was a long rectangular space. Most of the cages were empty the further they went. Still the noise of all those insect beasts was oppressive. Rocket slid his weapon off his shoulders and gripped the handle for reassurance. The cages on the lowest level were replaced by heavy metal doors and upon inspection some had creatures in them but these had already fallen victim to augmentation, metallic and nightmarish. They stood in their cells silently and almost still as statues. As they got to the far end there was a long curved control console with screens and buttons. Peter waved his hand in the air to move forward quietly. Everyone except Kai ignored this or simply didn't understand it's meaning and continued walking toward the console. Just as Quill began hissing at them in annoyance the double doors at the far end swung open. A short alien came bustling through. He was talking to himself it appeared and thoroughly distracted. His voice was muffled by the face mask he had on hooked up to a ventilator. The guardians all froze on the spot. There was no where to hide anywhere. A few awkward moments ticked by before the squat little guy looked up and gave a startled scream. He flinched and dropped the clipboard in his hands, he hesitated for a moment before running back toward the door but that brief hesitation was too long. Gamora leapt and blocked his escape. The panicked little guy skidded to a stop and tried to run back the other way but lost his footing and fell. 

'Take what you want! There is little of value here but please don't hurt me!' He cried. The guardians shared looks. This was not the villainous over lord they were expecting.

'We are not thieves.' Drax spat at the pathetic guy. 

'Well I mean sometimes we are.' Rocket chipped in. Peter threw him a look. 'What? It's true.' 

'Tell us where your master is perhaps we will not remove your entrails.' Drax bellowed. This only served to make the guy shake even more in fear. Gamora stepped forward and picked him up shoving him toward the consol. 

'My master?' He replied shakily, failing at sounding convincing by a light year. 

'Speak and tell us what you know and no harm will come to you.' Gamora promised. The alien stood a little straighter and gathered himself. 

'What is it you wish to know?' he asked looking from one person to the next trying to keep his eyes on everyone at the same time as though they might pounce at any moment. 

'Well for starters what is this place?' Peter asked. 

'It is a breeding facility. We are only performing research.' He seemed to be gaining a little courage as a sneering slimy tone entered his voice. 

'Bullshit! You're creating nightmares here and you're going to tell me why. I won't ask twice.' Kai stepped close to him and brought out a long blade from his fore arm pulling it back as if he were going to punch the blade straight through him. This elicited a brief scream and evaporated what little courage had accumulated in the odd looking guy. 

'Fine! It's physical augmentation. we are improving them.' Kai took a step forward, his demeanour was so convincing a couple of the guardians went to move forward to stop him. It had the desired effect. 

'Why?' Kai asked with a cold hard voice.

'My mistress, she believes this is the way forward. She wishes to change things for the better.' 

'Doesn't look like it to me.' Rocket replied. 

'You also bear the marks of scientific improvement do you not? Surely you must know it's benefits.' He had an insane reverence to the way he said it, like modifying organic forms was a religion to him. Rocket gripped his weapon and fired at the floor where the creep was standing. 

'You can go to hell! I didn't ask for this!' Rocket yelled. Peter stepped to his side and gently pushed his weapon back down. 

'Look we're shutting this operation down. Set these creatures free and you can be processed by the Nova for your crimes as I'm guessing you don't have any permits for the "research" you're doing here. Then we'll have a little chat about your mistress.' Peter spoke calmly.

'Yes, yes. I will do this.' The guy adjusted his face mask and turned to the consol. He began touching buttons and then dashed to the side and pulled a lever down hard. 'I will set them all free! Just as you command!' The cages flew open and slowly the one's on the ground floor walked out. Rocket felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as he turned slowly. Manic laughter echoed from their enemy who had released the creatures into the facility. Drax stepped forward and hit him with all his might. The laughter died as he was thrown into the cavernous space. The second he hit the floor with a crunch the metallic bugs screeched and came to life. Within moments he was torn to pieces, his screams drowned by the frenzy of the swarm. Rocket backed up a few paces, gripping his weapon in both paws. The screaming had stopped and the creatures calmed. All seven of them stood still watching this unfold, not moving a muscle. These creatures clearly didn't react to movement alone though as they turned and seemed to consider the group for a moment before letting out another ear shattering screech.

'Shit.' Rocket said as they came rushing forward. Baring his teeth and giving his own war cry he pulled back the trigger and let his fire rain down upon the deathly hoard stampeding toward him. He had finally been given his wish, plenty of things to shoot at and let out some pent up stress. Maybe there were a few too many things to shoot. As the saying goes, you should be careful what you wish for. 

\-----


	17. Be at Peace

The thunder of the beasts limbs hammering toward them made the very floor vibrate. Not that Rocket was paying any attention to the feeling in his feet right now. He was fully engaged in taking down the storm of creatures. Peter and Kai stepped up to flank Rocket and added to the barrage of fire hammering into them as they screeched toward the guardians. The creatures were nimble and scaled the walls briefly and lunged toward the firing squad. It was a quick draw competition and if you missed it was going to cost them a lot. Drax charged past them with a roar and jumped into the fray. It was madness but it was a damn good distraction and drew all the attention to him alone. 

'Drax don't!' Quill yelled but it was too late he was already in the thick of them. It made firing more difficult as he was mixed into the front line. Rocket cursed and swept his fire to the sides so the beasts didn't fully surround him. Peter fired a few more heavy blasts at the other flank before turning briefly. 

'Gamora?! We could do with a little help over here!' He called back to her. She was busy at the console of buttons. 

'You all need to get back now!' She yelled back at him. They tried calling to Drax a few times to pull back but he misunderstood why they were calling his name. The crazy idiot actually thought they were cheering him on. 

'Forget this I'm gonna grab him and pull him back.' Quill activated his visor and ran forward. Kai slid past Rocket and opened up his hand held cannons at the side Quill had been covering. Drax was still slashing away at his targets, not realising that he was mostly just denting their metal plates. The force behind his hits was still strong enough to bat them away even if the blows weren't doing any real damage. As menacing as the creatures were without their full senses at their disposal they left themselves open to brutal strikes. Quill dashed around the far side of Drax at his earliest opportunity and grabbed him at the waist, his jets engaged at full power and forced the two of them back. They came crashing to the floor and rolled into the large console. 

'Get back!' Gamora shouted once more and Kai, used to taking orders in these situations obliged immediately, grabbing Rocket by the back of his vest and lifting him off the floor taking him with him at the same time. The second they had retreated, huge metal bars came crashing down from above creating a barrier. The creatures slammed into it and screeched their frustration at not being able to reach their victims. Despite this Rocket continued to shoot at them. 

'Rocket stop! They can't reach us.' Gamora ordered. Rocket kept shooting though, he wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to anyone else. He was in a trance. Kai rushed back to his side seeing that his continued fire was actually damaging the barrier. If he continued much more it might buckle and then they would be done for. As kai put his hand on his shoulder and reached for his weapon Rocket swung round surprised and fired. The shot went wide over Kai's shoulder but it was enough to snap Rocket back into the present. His eyes were wide and wild. This wasn't battle lust this was something else and Kai could see it written on his face.

'Damnit Rocket you could have killed him!' Quill said. 

'It's fine, no harm done.' Kai gave Rocket a meaningful look and he shook off his feelings. They stepped back and looked at the scene before them. Dozens of the augmented creatures were now standing at the bars, some still trying to reach through with their long crustacean like legs. The viscous spikes on the ends lashing at the guardians but hopelessly out of reach. 'Okay what's our next move?'' Kai asked the group. They realised they were now safe for the moment. They had no idea where the rooms behind led to but no doubt they could find a way out. The problem of all these creatures being loose in the facility still remained though. The mob were slowly calming down, their attempts to reach the guardians getting less frantic. As Mantis looked past them though she gasped and brought her hand to her face. The others followed her gaze and behind the augmented creatures the others were now trapped with their murderous kin. Many of the one's they could see appeared to be cowering in their cages, refusing to leave. One tentatively came out trying to navigate a narrow walkway to get to the pens on the far side, it was like it knew the giant insects in the cage and desperately wanted to get to them. As it rushed across the walkway it buckled throwing it off to the side. It's long limbs flailed trying to get a grip but the hard exoskeleton didn't give the pincers any chance of gripping the twisted metal. As it crashed several floors to the bottom the crunch was audible. Painfully it tried to get to it's feet but simply couldn't. Moments later it's modified brothers pounced. It's death was quick and violent. 

'We must help the others!' Cried Mantis. The beasts might not look cuddly but it was clear that they weren't monsters. They were scared. 

'Urgh she's right.' Peter said. 'Gamora go with Mantis, Groot and Drax, try to find a way to release the non-murdery bugs. Rocket you and me go back in there, stay in the air and keep the attention of the murdery ones. We'll buy you as much time as possible but you gotta hurry Gamora.' She nodded and the small team headed out the back doors. 'Kai you need to bring the barrier up just long enough for us to get through and stay at the controls in case we need a fast exit.' Kai looked at Rocket and knew this plan wasn't going to work. 

'Rocket give me an aero-rig. You'll understand the console better than me.' The half truth slipped off his tongue smoothly and Kai gave Rocket a hard stare. Rocket tossed an aero-rig at him and got behind the console. Kai adjusted his weapons to a lower power setting. Anything too strong and it would throw him off balance, he wasn't used to this tech and he wanted it to be as easy as possible to stay in the air and keep control. With a nod Rocket lifted the barrier and the two humans rolled under and took to the air. The bars came crashing back down, an vivid indicator they were now in the danger zone. 

Rocket watched them take off and dance around, firing away, keeping the metallic monstrosities focused on them. His gut twisted as the bars came back down. The unnatural shrieks of the cyborg bugs, the smell of the place, it all had his pulse pounding in his ears. It was erratic too like his heart couldn't find it's rhythm. He was breathing fast and shallow. He tried to slow his breathing and get a grip. _What is wrong with me?_ he though angrily in his head. He shook his head and started looking at the panel in front of him. It was all basic stuff, feed system, cage release, simple and cheap like the rest of the place. 

'Okay we've found something. There is a release system that leads to an outer area. I need you to get the normal one's to the far end of the holding pens.' Gamora's voice came through their comms. 

'Yeah I'm a little busy!' Quill swore and cut out briefly. 'Kinda got a lot of murderous one's after my ankles right now!' Kai flew toward him to try and pull some away but one sprung from the wall and caught his shoulder. His cybernetics were going haywire in this situation. All the muscle memory he had trained into himself was near useless. The mechanics of using the Aero-rig just didn't mesh with what his body wanted to do. He crashed into the floor with the creature on top of him. In a flash he had plunged one of his blades into it's chest and kicked the heavy creature to the side. He fired a barrage of shots in a full circle around himself and then took off again. That was way too close.

'Have to agree with Peter we've got our hands full.' He was out of breath and bleeding, he couldn't see how badly but he couldn't worry about that now. Rocket was frantically staring at the buttons and dials in front of him. _Think damnit! Think! They're gonna die if you don't figure this out_ Rocket was so off his game. Suddenly the light bulb went off in his head. 

'Quill, Kai! Come back this way! I'm gonna use the irrigation system to get them moving!' He twisted a dial and hit a few buttons to test his theory and sure enough the pen closest to him on the right had a gush of water flush the cage. This facility was designed to be run with only a few staff. Either out of necessity or choice it didn't matter but each pen could be flushed clean from the console. Without hesitating any longer he could see the two humans coming in to land in front of the bars. He set off a cascade of water starting near to them and going from cage to cage toward the far end. Slowly at first but then with more coordination the over grown bugs started moving to the far end. It was like the unmodified one's had something akin to a hive mind, or they just felt safer in numbers, but as soon as a small group started heading away from the water surge the rest quickly joined. A few fell but almost instinctively their kin jumped to help them, pulling them back up and skittering on. 

'It's working!' Quill cheered. 

'Focus your fire and save the celebrating for later!' Barked Kai, raw aggression in his voice. 

'Gamora, open the gates.' Rocket said through the comms. There was a moment or two of hesitation before he received a reply. 

'The first creatures are leaving the facility!' It was Mantis, she sounded triumphant. It was great the plan was working but Rocket looked at the scene before him. Quill and Kai were running out of room he needed to pull them back behind the barrier. 

'How long till you can close it? Things are getting kinda dicey down here!' Rocket yelled into his comm. 

'Just a few moments more.' Gamora replied. Rocket hovered his paw over the release button. He felt sweat coming from his pores. 

'Getting pretty close guys!' Quill shouted. They were walking backwards and the beasts were meters from them, crushing forward, not caring about the quad blasters tearing into their metal plating and scorching their exoskeletons. It was as though they no longer feared pain, or perhaps could no longer feel it at all. Kai stepped back and felt his heel hit the bars. Both their backs were literally up against a wall. 

'Okay that's the last of them, get them out Rocket!' Rocket didn't waste any time he hit the release and both of them rolled back under before it came crashing back down. Quill helped Kai to his feet. They turned and looked at the pincers and jaws gnashing at them. Gamora came back through the doors to join them. 

'Everyone okay?' She asked. 

'Yeah, piece of cake.' Quill huffed between gasps of breath. 

'We need to illuminate the rest, if we target the support structures this whole area will be buried.' Gamora turned to Rocket with an expectant look. He didn't move. 'Rocket did you hear me?' She asked him confused at his lack of action. 

'Yeah I heard you but I ain't doing it.' He said, it had a bit of bite to the words but they felt hesitant. The cogs in his mind were turning and he was conflicted about something. 

'Come on dude get on it, what's with you?' Quill asked. Kai knew that look. He saw it for the first time as he exited the atmosphere of the first facility he helped to "dismantle". He was staring out the window of a Nova space craft as the detonation erupted. That was so many years ago he had almost forgotten what that felt like. So many lives wiped out, it was cruel but it was the only choice to make. Some work needs to be done. It is better that it's done by those who care because at least that way someone shoulders the burden. It's cruel and it's not fair to those who shed a small piece off their soul doing such work but Kai often reminded himself that if he didn't care then no one would. He saw the look on Rocket's face and it was the same expression he saw staring back at him in the reflection of the ship's window all those years ago. 

'Guys go join up with the others, Rocket and I will deal with things here.' Peter and Gamora hesitated. 'Go.' Kai said with a weight behind his voice his didn't feel but forced out anyway. They shared a look between themselves and then did as Kai asked. They needed to decide what to do with the bugs outside anyway. As the doors swung closed Kai turned his attention to Rocket again. The mutated and unnatural screeches continued but they were hushed and sporadic. Rocket was staring at the ground, looking ashamed.

'I won't do it.' He said, loud enough to hear but still looking down at the floor. 

'What's the alternative?' Kai made sure his tone was soft, empathetic. 

'They don't deserve this! You should get that! Why am I the voice of reason? I've never turned down an opportunity to blow stuff up but this ain't right.' Kai could see the fire burning in his eyes and he respected him so much for it. He also knew Rocket was wrong. 

'I know they didn't ask for this. They can't help what they are...'

'So why are you still acting like dropping a building on them is the right thing to do?!' Rocket interrupted Kai. 

'LOOK AT THEM!' Kai shouted. It shocked Rocket and threw him off. Kai stepped closer to the bars and held out his arm. Immediately the creatures lunged and hurt themselves trying to reach him. Trying the rip that arm clean off his body before they ripped apart the rest of him. 'This is no life Rocky. They're not to blame, I don't blame them for their actions. But what kind of an existence can they hope for? They aren't like you and me. What's been done to them is worse. They are suffering every moment they are alive.' Kai was speaking from the heart. Speaking from experience. There are those that would argue every life is sacred and should be protected, Kai believed different. If a life would mean an endless cycle of fear, aggression and pain without the ability to have companionship, without the ability to feel happiness or even contentment he felt it was the responsibility of others to end their misery. He took no joy from it but he felt it was his responsibility. They weren't born bad, that much was true, but what they had been made into by the sadistic acts of others wasn't something that could be fixed. 

'Then why didn't you just let me die then.' Rocket's voice wouldn't hold steady as he spat the words at Kai. 'You think I haven't suffered?' Kai was taken back by the words. 

'Why? Because when I looked at you on that lab floor I saw someone fighting for their life. There was a determination in your eyes and I couldn't bear the thought of leaving you like that. Your life might not have been easy but compared to what they have to look forward to? I know which one I would choose.' Rocket glanced at the creatures again. He knew Kai was right. For all Rocket knew they didn't even know to feed themselves, they were more machine than anything at this stage and they didn't exactly look like they would be cooperative if it came to maintenance.

'Fine.' It was barely a whisper but Rocket agreed. 

'I know it's tough, believe me I know. I can take care of this. It wouldn't be the first time.' Kai said with a sad smile and haunted look in his eyes. As he reached to pick up Rocket's bag though a paw appeared on top of his hand. 'You sure?' Kai asked. 

'Yeah. You'd probably screw it up anyway.' He replied distantly.

Taking it in turns to keep them distracted, Rocket and Kai placed explosives on the load bearing structures surrounding the cavernous space lined with now empty cages. As the bars came crashing down to seal their doom Rocket took one last look back before he turned and walked out with Kai. A small piece of him stayed behind as the double doors swung closed. It wasn't fair but it was the right thing to do. He knew that. Why did his chest feel so heavy then? The others would never understand this, hell he didn't even understand it fully. 

They made their way outside. The others had corralled the rest of the odd bug like creatures away from the facility. As they saw the two of them they made to come and join them but Kai put up a hand telling them to stay away. Now they were a safe distance from the building Kai looked at the trigger in Rocket's paw. He didn't pressure him, he just led them over to a rock and sat down. A few moments slipped by in silence before Rocket flipped the cap off the top exposing the trigger button. Without a word he held it out to Kai, not to take but to press with him. They could share the guilt, or maybe Rocket simply didn't have the strength to press it alone. Either way he wasn't telling and Kai would never ask. Kai put his hand around Rocket's and their thumbs hovered over the trigger. 

The tortured souls trapped in the building found their release. Victims laid to rest with the hope they would be at peace.

\-----


	18. Look After Me

The herd of non augmented bugs were gathered outside the now collapsed building. They chittered amongst themselves and skittered about uncertainly. Drax and Groot kept them gathered near the building penned in by the rocky rise behind the facility and themselves. Gamora and Quill looked about the area and it seemed fairly self contained. The augmented creatures seemed to be more acrobatic than their unaltered brethren. The area was a natural paddock. To get past the rocks they would need to climb an extensive distance and at their first impression this would have been far beyond what the bugs were capable of. Quill got back to Drax and explained. Mantis was right in amongst the odd creatures. They stood about five feet high but the males were noticeably taller and had larger front limbs. They had six legs, all three sets were crab like, covered in a hard exoskeleton. Their heads were perched on top of an oval body about a meter long and were triangular in shape with a large upper and lower jaw that formed a giant pincer. Two small beady black eyes were located on either side of their head. They were a pale green colour with some having a slightly orange hue to their exoskeleton. Mantis was smiling and her antenna were glowing at the tips as she touched some of the bugs brave enough to step up to her. She was giggly and talking to them. Quill looked over to her and smiled at how kind her interactions were. A smaller bug came up behind Mantis and used it's large face pincer to push her then skittered back. Mantis turned and scolded the young bug, it appeared to be an adolescent. It seemed to crouch a little lower and scuttle toward Mantis, her arms crossed. As it came within arms reach of her she laughed and stroked it's strange long face. This seemed to please the animal as it shook it's whole body and gave a gentle chittering sound. Quill knew for a fact that with out Mantis they wouldn't have given a second thought to these harmless, gentle animals. They looked mean and the only version of them they had been exposed to previously were the murderous kind. Quill was taken aback once more contemplating what had been done to these kind creatures. Without the metal plating they would still make for dangerous foes but it wasn't in their nature to be aggressive. He understood now why the Nova enforced such strict laws about not interfering. If this species was given a chance to evolve and develop in a natural way they seemed to have real potential for a peaceful society. The pessimist within him told him that as soon as they began developing technology they would probably fall down the same dark paths other species had fallen into but still, right now they were a social and friendly species. 

They headed back to the _Benatar_ and contacted Nova Prime. They needed to move fast to catch up with the ship they were tracking and didn't have time to ensure the safety of the bugs trapped there. They didn't have the authority to deal with such matters either. Deciding whether the group should be picked up and moved back to the home world or if they should be allowed to remain in this new place was a decision best left to the Nova empire. They had bigger fish to fry. 

\------

As the call ended with prime promising to deal with the matter and appreciating the update they had a moment of silence between them. Nova prime looked drained, like she hadn't slept in days. She didn't mention anything about the state of Xandar or the outcome of the unrest within their upper ranks. The mere fact she picked up the call was a welcome relief to Kai and the Guardians. They were still owed a pay day and if Prime were removed from power that might not happen. Quill and Gamora began discussing their next move. The others all stayed in place to listen in and get involved except for Rocket. Kai and Mantis had been watching him throughout their time travelling back to the ship and during the call to Nova prime. He seemed shaken. He was unfocused and seemed to be standing around simply out of expectation not because his mind or thoughts were in the room. As the captain and Gamora began talking about the next move Rocket absentmindedly looked down at the floor and wandered out the common room. Neither of the two talking noticed. Kai and Mantis made eye contact and as Mantis saw the look of worry in Kai's face she motioned with her head that he should follow. Kai gave a small smile of thanks and went after him leaving the discussion to the others.

\------

Kai caught up with Rocket as the door to his room began to close. Kai stuck his hand in the gap and the door slid back open. They hadn't spoken since pressing the trigger. Kai had held onto Rocket's hand afterwards but Rocket had pulled away. As Kai entered the room Rocket stood in front of the bed looking away from him. Kai removed his outer layers of armour and moved closer. Before he could reach Rocket he spoke. 

'You're bleeding.' Rocket said matter-of-factly. Kai looked over his shoulder and put his hand on the torn shirt he was wearing. Sure enough it came away red. It wasn't too bad but deserved some attention. 

'You're not wrong but I'm more worried about you if I'm honest.' Kai replied. Rocket turned and didn't look at Kai. He walked straight out of the room and Kai was left feeling lost. He didn't know how to handle these situations. He tried to think back to when he was in this situation but all he could remember was being told he had done a good job by anyone in the core that bothered to acknowledge his existence in a positive way. He sighed after a few moments and went to leave the room but as he reached the door it opened and Rocket was right outside holding medical supplies. 

'Leaving?' Rocket said making eye contact and then looked away to the side. 

'I didn't think you were coming back.' Kai said awkwardly.

'Just sit down and let me fix you up.' Rocket said. Kai was sure if Rocket wasn't covered in fur there would be a visible blush on his cheeks. Kai went and sat down on the bed as Rocket jumped up behind on him and set down the medical supplies. Rocket reached up and pulled the torn parts of his top away from the injury but some of the blood had dried already and Kai winced. 'Sorry... I'm no good at this stuff.' Kai felt Rocket's paws come away from his shoulders and drop. He turned and looked at Rocket. He saw a lost soul that was hurt and needed just as much attention as the weeping cut on his back. 

'You're trying though and that's what matters to me.' Kai said in all honestly. Rocket looked up at him and suddenly stepped into him for a hug. Kai surrounded him in an embrace that made him feel safe and loved even if the pressure was aggravating Kai's wound. He didn't care one bit. Kai knew Rocket didn't want the rest of his crew to see him this way, not acting himself and feeling vulnerable, but here and now it was just the two of them. They melded together and Rocket shifted into Kai's lap and he held him. 

'Does it always hurt like this? Doing the right thing?' Rocket asked, his muzzle leaning against Kai's jaw. 'Cos if it does, I'm not a fan.'

'It hurts the worst the first time. It doesn't exactly get easier but you learn to cope with it I guess.' Kai was trying not to sugar coat it but at the same time didn't want to explain the extreme horror he had to deal with over the years. Their eyes met briefly and they leaned into each other pushing their foreheads together. Kai never would have wanted Rocket to join this particular club but it was nice to have someone who understood. Rocket pulled away after a moment and stepped behind Kai again. 

'This might hurt but we gotta get your top off.' Rocket said taking hold of the bottom of Kai's top.

'Any excuse to take my clothes off hehe.' Kai replied. His flirting was cut short as Rocket pulled his top up and off of him, the dried blood pulling at the wound. 'Ouch!' Kai exclaimed, more from surprise than pain. 

'Ah stop complaining, you'll live.' Rocket replied as he started cleaning the wound. It wasn't too bad, only a decent graze with a shallow cut running through the centre. It didn't take long until the wound was clean and dressed.

'Thanks.' Kai said as Rocket stepped back and picked up the rubbish and blood soaked strips of cloth from the bed. 

'You look after me, I look after you.' Rocket replied as he dropped the trash in the bin under his desk. He stood there a moment longer looking vacant. 'I don't know how I'd get through this without you.' Kai heard the words but they felt so alien coming from Rocket. Kai knew Rocket had promised to start trying harder to make this work but such brutal honesty seemed a long way off. Rocket didn't act like he needed anyone, ever. The statement stunned Kai but as Rocket turned slightly and offered a genuine smile tinged with a vulnerable appreciation he had to force something out of his mouth. He was almost paralyzed by the authenticity of Rocket's admission. 

'You'd get through anything...' Kai began but Rocket put a paw on his mouth and stopped him. Without warning Rocket pushed Kai back on the bed and locked lips with him, lying on top of his bare chest. Rocket eventually pulled away and caught his breath. Kai didn't know what to think but was not going to argue with anything that was happening. Rocket stared into Kai's eyes as he spoke. 

'I love you. I didn't get what that meant before I met you but Kai you mean everything to me. I love you so much.' As the words entered Kai's brain fireworks exploded and his hand drifted up to Rocket's cheek caressing it gently before he pulled Rocket in again kissing his muzzle and sliding his tongue against Rocket's, desperately wanting to be one with him at that moment. 

'Say it again.' Pleaded Kai as he rolled them over and looked deep into Rocket's golden eyes. 

'You're gonna have to earn it a second time.' He growled, his lip pulling up on one side in a confident smile. Kai wanted to think of a witty retort but he was too caught up in the moment. Instead he took Rocket's words as an order and worked his way down Rocket's body undoing his top as he went. As he drifted lower with his affection Rocket could see where he was heading. Kai gave a brief glance up to his lover to make sure he wasn't misreading signals but he could see Rocket's face turn into a goofy grin as Kai began undoing his trousers. The second his zipper came undone Rocket's rock hard manhood burst out. Teasingly kai worked around Rocket's junk as he watched and begged for more. Kai's tongue slowly made it's way up Rocket's member from the base to it's tip before he slid the tip into his eager mouth. Rocket gasped with pleasure and Kai had to fight a grin while he got to work. Kai pulled back after Rocket had a good few long moments of bliss. 

'Say it again.' Kai said as Rocket looked down at him. Kai's hand holding his dick from one side and running his tongue up the other side with his eyes closed feeling every inch. As he reached the top Kai turned and looked at Rocket with lust and love in equal measure.

'I love you so much.' Rocket didn't hesitate to blurt it out. He meant every word of it too, although Rocket was being heavily manipulated right now and as Kai absorbed the words he doubled his efforts to please Rocket in every way that he could.

\----- 

The Nova had arrived in the system and began their descent to assess the situation on the moon. They would need to take more detailed reports of any life that existed on the planet and use the information they had on the species to see if they could be left for any amount of time in this new environment. The herd was almost a hundred strong so transporting them would be challenging and they needed to know if this was an emergency situation or something that could be dealt with in a larger time frame. Leaving them on the moon was out of the question so one way or another they would be returned to their home world. 

With the situation now handed off to the Nova Corps the guardians took off heading toward the location of the beacon. It had made a few jumps but appeared to have stayed put for a long amount of time. They didn't know exactly what this meant. They needed to proceed with caution. Their greatest fear was that some communication had been sent to the ship alerting them of the guardians attack on the breeding facility. If they knew they were being followed it wouldn't take much of an investigation to find the tracker. It's beauty was being covert enough to operate without being noticed by regular scans but once you knew what you were looking for a manual observation of the hull would show the rough patch that had been opened and sealed back up in a rush. If this was the case they could have diverted from their path, ditched the tracker and disappeared. 

As the engines picked up power and they felt the craft move into deeper space Rocket grumbled knowing that was their cue to get up and get dressed. Hopefully Quill hadn't spontaneously installed a black light on the flight deck as neither of them had time to wash up. Kai stopped by his room to pull a t-shirt on as they headed to the others. 

\-----

They received a few questioning glances as they reached the cockpit but tried to not pay any attention. Rocket jumped up front with Quill, as Kai hung in the back with Mantis. 

'Nice of you two to join us.' Quill said sarcastically. 

'Yeah yeah, save it for someone who cares Quill. Where we heading?' Rocket asked as he tapped away at the screen in front of him and got comfortable. 

'We need to catch up with the tracker, it hasn't moved in a while. Need the nearest jump point.' He replied.

'It hasn't moved because our little side mission has given away our intentions.' Gamora grumbled behind them. 

'I heard that.' Quill said failing to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

'I also heard this and it is a valid observation.' Drax added.

'Not helping Drax! Besides we needed to check that place out AND we saved those weird thingys. We were doing what heroes do best.' Quill wasn't going to let them bring down the mood. 

'AND what we should have done is continued on our mission and had the Nova deal with the situation down there in it's entirety.' Gamora was not letting this go. 

'Damn guys, do you ever talk without arguing? Or is arguing just how you talk?' Kai didn't enjoy being around this atmosphere, it seemed juvenile and unproductive and he was in much too good of a mood right now to simply sit by and let them go on and on. 

'This is pretty much how they talk.' Mantis said quietly to Kai, she kept her attention on where they were going but said it firmly like Kai has asked a serious question. He looked at her briefly and shook his head, he was developing a real soft spot for her. Like the sister he never had. He stopped that train of thought when he realised he very well could have a sister or several for all he knew about his life on earth. Regardless Mantis was definitely his second favourite guardian so far, Groot was a close third. 

'Jump point coming up.' Rocket declared. The ship picked up speed and Quill altered it's trajectory slightly to hit it dead centre. After passing through Quill plotted a course that would allow them some down time but get them closer to their destination if they needed to get moving in a hurry. With that done he shifted the controls over to Rocket and got up to leave. 'Hey where you going?' Rocket protested. 

'I'm going to get some food and have a lie down, since it looks like you and your boyfriend already did that you can keep an eye on things.' Rocket felt a bit awkward looking down at his fur, only now noticing how unkept he looked. Kai was just as bad if not worse with some stray bits of fur in his stubble. He consciously wiped at his jaw line with his hand as the others filed out of the cockpit. As they left Kai walked up and dropped down into Quill's chair. 

'To be fair he kinda had a point. I can smell you all over me.' Rocket said with a cheeky grin.

'Smell me? Dude I can still taste you.' Kai replied with a massive grin on his face. Rocket turned to look at him and they both burst out laughing. Rocket kicked the engines into gear and they blasted deeper into space, their laughter still echoing throughout the ship as they went. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a busy few weeks for me but it's still great to get lost in this. Thanks for all the support I really mean it, I was super excited when I got to 50 hits and it's crazy seeing it getting toward 700 these days and with the kudos going up as well it makes my day every time. Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!
> 
> Little personal info - I'll be getting my eyes lasered next Friday so I plan to get the next chapter out by Thursday and hope my eyes are healed up enough to get the following chapter out on the 5th of Feb but naturally if life gets in the way or there are any complications it could mean this goes on a brief break but I promise that even if I miss a week it won't die, this will one day be a completed work. So don't panic if things go quiet for a while. Hopefully nothing will change at all and this message was never needed but I didn't want to leave you guys in dark. 
> 
> Stay safe and catch you again soon! :3


	19. Future Paths

The heat was almost unbearable as another vent exploded meters away from Rocket. The long narrow corridors that were brightly lit not long ago were plunged into dark shadows and dancing orange flame. The floor quaked beneath him as more explosions rocked the base. He had been cut off from the others, everything had descended into chaos. He could smell some of his fur had been singed by the latest blast and it was not helping him clear his mind enough to think of a way out. Fear gripped his soul with it's long evil claws and paralysed him. _Think damn it! Just think! We've gotten out of worse shit than this!_ Rocket thought as he looked left and right. In the distance he thought he heard Gamora scream. Desperately he looked about for his weapon but it wasn't anywhere around. Not that a gun would do much in this scenario but it was his safety blanket. Pushing down his fear as much as possible he pushed away from the wall and forced himself to run. He ran toward the voice, dodging past blazes, hoping and praying to anyone who would listen that he wouldn't be caught in another eruption of fire and flame at any moment. For the life of him he couldn't think which way was out so he just kept running in any direction that wasn't completed blocked. 

He rounded a corner and found her. Gamora dragging herself along the floor. The corridor further up had collapsed. Gamora was wounded, badly. Something sharp and metallic was protruding from her stomach and as Rocket got closer he saw it went all the way through her as well. 

'Rocket, get Mantis, she was right... behind me...' Gamora said through gritted teeth, blood trickling out of the side of her open mouth. Rocket crouched by her side and looked past her. Mantis wasn't there. Chunks of rock and parts of the structure were all that remained. The fires had all died out though and as Rocket looked closer there must have been a breach as air was being sucked in that direction. 'Rocket! You have to help her!' Gamora screamed at him tears spilling down her face. 

'She's not there! She's not there Gammy, she's gone.' Rocket couldn't see her anywhere and accepted she must have been buried by the collapse or sucked into space. He was still scanning the mess in a panic though in case he missed something. 'I need to get you out of here.' Rocket said to Gamora turning his attention back to her.

It was too late though. Gamora was no longer moving. No longer breathing. Her vibrant green skin was taking on a pale, almost grey tone as the fresh tears slowly continued to fall, tracing the curve of her cheek.

'Gamora...' Rocket whimpered.

'Gamora!' He cried as he pushed her shoulder. 'No...'

Rocket's insides twisted and he felt so small. More explosions rocked the whole base and he snapped back to reality. He got up and went to leave. It wasn't fair though. They had been through so much he didn't want to leave Gamora lying there alone. She deserved better than that. There wasn't anything he could do. She was too heavy to lift and even if he dragged her what was the point? It would probably just get him dead too. Cursing he turned and ran. There was no sign of the others but he made his way through the maze of corridors and through open spaces housing large generators and machinery. All of them seemed to be straining under the situation and his fear doubled every time he had to pass through areas with large power sources. He turned a corner and finally there was light. He was working his way away from the danger at least. He ran even faster as his lungs burned and his limbs began to feel like lead. One last turn and up ahead no more than twenty meters was the hanger. _Of course it was this way!_ Rocket celebrated. The floor shook worse than ever and he was thrown to the side crashing into the wall. Dazed he dragged himself to his feet. 

'Rocket! Move your ass!' Peter called. Looking ahead Quill was waiting by the hanger door. Rocket scrabbled on the floor and ran. He could feel a hot wind behind him, that last blast must have been something big going off. A wall of flame was surging through the entire base and Rocket knew it. He was short on time. 

'Rocket!!' Kai yelled. Rocket skidded to a stop and looked behind him. Kai was slowly stumbling along toward the hanger. He was hurt and clutching his side, his hand a red mess, leaning against the wall for support making small painful steps to freedom. Rocket was torn. The wind was picking up by the second there was no way he would make it to Kai and get out in time. Slowly Rocket pulled himself away and turned to run to safety. 'Please...' Kai whispered as their eyes met, he extended a hand toward Rocket. _I'm sorry_ Rocket thought as he ran. He ran away, like he always did to save himself. He glanced back and it was too late. Red and orange was the last thing he saw. The flames rolled over Kai and Rocket heard him scream his name in agony. Rocket couldn't even scream as he was immolated on the spot. It was all over. 

\-----

'Rocket!' Kai said with a harsh whisper, he was standing over him with concern written all over his face. Rocket opened his eyes and realised he was breathing hard. He looked around confused for a moment. 'Jeez man I only left for a second.' Kai's face softened and he stepped back and sat down in Quill's chair. 

'What happened?' Rocket asked feeling disorientated. 

'You had a nightmare. Another one. I went to grab us some drinks and when I came back you had dosed off. I tried to wake you but you were being stubborn as usual.' Kai smirked. Rocket was taking a few minutes to shake off the dream. Kai passed him a drink. Rocket had nightmares from time to time but lately they had been non stop. The sooner they got this job over with the better. 'You wanna talk about it?' Kai asked after a moment. 

'No.' Rocket answered stubbornly. 'It was nothing.' 

'Didn't seem like nothing to me.' Kai pressed the issue. He knew by now you had to push to get things out of the handsome fuzz ball. He acted all tough but he had serious issues. Not that everyone doesn't have issues to deal with but this guy in particular was not interested in working on issues, or talking about them, or even acknowledging them. 

'It was just a dream, it was nothing. So there's nothing to talk about okay?' Rocket bristled and gulped down some more of the cool liquid. He wished it was a real drink. _Ah damn it_ Rocket cursed as he realised he just admitted to himself he wanted alcohol and thus proved it was not nothing. Believing your own lies is important if you want to avoid seeing personal flaws. Rocket was content criticising others for their flaws but not so much a fan of identifying his own. 

'Hmm Kinda weird you being scared about nothing but okay.' Kai said with a sly smile on his face. He turned away from Rocket and took a long sip of his own drink and waited. 

'You're really annoying you know that?' Rocket grumbled and glared at Kai. 

'Yup.' Kai responded brightly and grinned out the window. The truth was Rocket's dreams had changed since they met. Before he would have his traditional set of nightmares from his time on Halfworld. Scattered memories and invented scenarios that brought back the root source of his fear. He occasionally had good dreams where he was rich beyond his wildest dreams and a scattering of other randomness. But ever since this guy had entered his life it was like his sleep state was hard wiring itself to attack his insecurities. More than ever he had stuff to lose. More accurately he had people to lose. Rocket had spent the majority of his early life, after escaping from Halfworld, fighting each day to get by. Scraping a living by collecting bounties and stealing whatever wasn't glued down. He had to look after himself and he didn't care how he did it. Inevitably he found himself locked up. Back then he didn't have have a large plant-ner in crime to protect him. That meant prison was rough. He learned to fight and use his wits to survive in a dog eat dog world. He couldn't risk sentiment getting in the way and getting him dead. It was the only way to get by, or so he though at the time. With his genius ability to mess with tech he managed to break out of all twenty two prisons stupid enough think they could keep him contained. It was this rep that made life a little easier on the inside. Taking a shower and being able to convince the nasty bunch of guys circling you that they can all get out with his help if they simply refrain from carrying out their darkest desires on him. Reputation was everything. When he ran into Groot and they formed an alliance it was his first taste of safety in numbers. By the time he strolled into the Kiln with the rag tag bunch that would one day be known as the Guardians of the Galaxy it was simply a dress rehearsal to Rocket. He knew how to be mean and look after number one in this world. In this world he was king. 

In the present how ever the world he was living in had changed. Prison was off the cards now they were celebrities. Sure not everything was by the book but they were never doing anything so bad they would be named outlaws by all governing powers, just a select few they didn't like anyway. Since Kai's arrival how ever things had moved one step further. He had Groot to look after that was true enough. With Kai though he felt the crushing weight of this silent agreement that you needed to have each others' back. Even if that meant putting yourself in danger. Kai had already proven this much, even if it was by accident on Knowhere. Rocket's subconscious was asking him the same question over and over. Are you brave enough to put someone else before you? It was also taunting him by echoing over and over that the answer was a resounding no. Fighting your own subconscious is a tough battle for anyone. Rocket's subconscious? Apparently it was his worst enemy and a real fan of promoting his worst qualities. His dreams had morphed into these nightmares that brought back the fear of needing to survive in a dangerous world and then throw him a curve ball in the form of a choice. Save yourself like you always have or risk everything for someone else. Yondu was right, he was the most scared of all. It was why he talked such a big game and played his cards close to the chest. He was still adapting to the idea of someone else putting him first. He had accepted that much by now with everyone on the ship proving they wouldn't leave him behind. He just wasn't sure if he deserved to be loved though. He almost wanted his chance to prove he wasn't a coward. That he would make the ultimate sacrifice for Kai given the chance. Until then he was trapped in a prison he had no idea how to escape this time. The bars of this prison were made of the guilt that he didn't deserve to be loved. The only way out seemed to be discarding everything he had learned in his early life. It was a tall order. 

Kai sat quietly while the cogs in Rocket's mind turned. As much as he knew he needed to press Rocket to express himself he also knew Rocket needed time to process and think. 

'So I dreamed about losing people.' Rocket began hesitantly. 'Losing you. I have this nightmare a lot. I always have a choice to make, save the people I love or save myself. Usually I fail at both.'

'Usually? So you get it right sometimes?' Kai asked optimistically.

'Depends. Sometimes I save myself and watch everyone else die. That sound right to you?' Rocket hung his head, ashamed to say it out loud. 

'I'm not gonna sit here and try to translate your dreams into something meaningful or any bullshit like that Rocket but you're not like that in reality.' Kai said firmly.

'And how would you know that?' Rocket asked not in spite but really wanting some reassurance.

'Because... I've met cowards and back stabbers. I've arrested some, killed others and worked alongside a few too and you're nothing like them. You know what I've come to realise about bravery? It's not about being unafraid. If you don't feel fear when you are face to face with danger then you're unhinged, a psycho, that's not bravery.' Kai turned to look at Rocket. 

'Being brave means you act **despite** being afraid. I don't know who you used to be but I know the guy in front of me and you're not a coward. Deep down you know that but until you get a chance to test it you can't prove it and I think I'll go out on a limb here and say you're an evidence based personality type.' Kai said with a raised eye brow.

Rocket snorted in agreement. Kai was right and Rocket knew it and whilst it didn't magically cure him of his persistent anxiety on the subject it was enough to give him a moments breathing space away from it all. 

They still had a couple of hours before they closed in on the next jump point. There were no signs of the others stirring yet so they kept the ship cruising through space. They made the most of the quiet time they had together. Neither acknowledged it but this time was precious, neither knowing what exactly was lying ahead of them and if they would ever get a quiet moment together staring at the starlight again. For all they knew this could be the last time, with one of them left staring at the stars alone from that moment on, always thinking back and remembering this time. Desperately wishing they could come back for just a few more laughs, a few more questions. They still had so much to learn about each other, a whole life times worth of stories and experiences to share. Looking out the _Benatar's_ cockpit the black expanse littered with stars felt like a realm of endless possibility with the two of them together. One without the other though and that view would become an infinite dark void, completely empty except for the cold, harsh wind of loneliness. The final location of their target was through the next jump point. They weren't sure exactly where that would be yet but the information would be picked up by the nav once they got close enough. Eventually a growl from Rocket's stomach forced him to go grab some snacks for the two of them leaving Kai on his own. Kai was finding it increasingly difficult to sit still. His fingers thrumming on the chair's armrest. There would be a lot to figure out after they finished this mission and he knew that. He refused to put his attention to such things yet though. As a seasoned operative in the galaxy he knew better than to count his chickens before they hatched. They would be entering combat no doubt about it and there was never a guarantee everyone was going to walk away in one piece. That's why he needed this to be over so he didn't have to worry over the unknown anymore. There were future paths spiralling off in all directions for him right now but he didn't have the key to any of their doors yet. Optimism and pessimism fought their ongoing war in his head and the wait was killing him. 

\-----

Time passed all too quickly and soon enough the others all rose from their little quiet places on the ship. Quill was always conscious of how much smaller his last ship was. They spent their time cramped and living on top of each other most of the time. This one, whilst not spacious, accommodated all of them in relative comfort. Quill still thought about his old ship the _Milano_ and swore one day he would return to Berhert and finish the repairs. The beginning of his own fleet. _Admiral Starlord_ He thought to himself with a childish grin on his face. Something told him it would make Yondu proud to take up a similar role that he had. Even if they did stick to slightly less criminal activities. 

'Quill we're approaching the jump point, should be getting a signal from the tracker anytime now.' Rocket announced over the comms. That was enough to pull Peter out of his day dreams and back to the matter at hand. He headed to the main deck and was greeted by the others. Rocket set the ship to auto pilot keeping a safe distance from the jump point in case anything not too friendly came rushing out toward them. Kai and Rocket came down to the main deck and immediately knew something was up. Gamora had her arms crossed and was looking concerned. Quill walked up to the two and blocked their view of the holo display. 

'Hey guys so let's just try to keep a level head about this okay?' Quill said almost sweating as his eyes shifted from Rocket to Kai and back again. 

'What are you talkin about, get out the way douche bag.' Rocket spat at him. Rocket went to push Quill aside but he didn't put up any resistance. As Quill stepped out of the way and the two approached the holo display everything fell into place. 

'Oh... Shit.' Rocket articulately reacted to the destination. The temperature in room felt like it dropped a good few degrees as they absorbed the information. Of all the god forsaken places that wanted to be left out of the pages of history and forgotten about this was certainly top of the list for one of the members onboard the ship. In a way it was almost fitting though that things had gone full circle. Starting a new life often required someone to cleanse themselves of their previous one. It was a particularly slim silver lining for the situation but it was all they had. 

'I guess we better get ready then huh guys?' Kai said as they all continued to stare at the star system before them. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised here's the latest chapter, this story will be completed, hope you guys liked it. Really sorry for the two weeks of absence but life got in the way and then looking at screens for any length of time is a real challenge at the moment. My eyes still have some healing to do but if anyone is interested to know the surgery was a complete success and I'm very happy with the results. Things should get back on track now with one chapter being released a week again. 
> 
> I'm heading into no mans lands at this point. There isn't too much left for this story arc except the finale but I'm finding it hard to decide exactly what's going to happen and how. Lots of ideas still working their way around my head. It's both exciting and scary for me but the continued support is driving me forward as always. 
> 
> I'll catch you all next week and sorry again for the delay x


	20. Past Mistakes

The star system rotated slowly. Bright and colourful on the holo display as Kai's mind went back into a distant past full of rage and suffering. It was the Ra'zen system. Home to the creatures that had been victimised by the mad ex-Nova Core agent. The tracker pointed to a large asteroid amongst the belt that circled the red giant star at the center. A million questions buzzed in his mind and the rage that he was trying to fight down was almost too much. Everything he had been told was a lie. He was told on so many occasions that his work driving out the cruel practice of augmentation and genetic experiments on lower life forms throughout the galaxy was just. It was just because when the Nova told him they razed the facility that turned him into what he was to the ground, he was glad. When the nightmares were at their worst and he was all alone, sweating in the middle of the night, he would imagine the asteroid shattered to a million pieces, the evil souls that had tormented him ripped apart with it brought him solace. So he did to other places as he believed had been done to where he came from. Seeing it lit up on the screen before him now shattered the driving force that had kept him moving forward all these years. Time had slipped past and he was barely paying attention to the world around him. A small gesture brought him back. Like a life aid being thrown to a drowning sailor he clasped onto the hand that laced it's fingers with his. Looking beside him he saw Rocket staring back at him. A fierce determination and formidable protective gleam to his eyes that told Kai he could get through this.

'I know this ain't the ending you were expecting but.... I hate to even ask but do you have information on this place?' Rocket asked him out of necessity. Going into any fight blind was a mistake. Kai might be the last person alive that saw this place before the experiments on him ended and he released all the air locks. Kai cleared his throat and gave Rocket's hand a squeeze before he let go. 

'I have the full layout of the base from when I left. There is a good chance there will be modifications but on the whole this asteroid is predominantly made of metal. The base was build into natural caves within the asteroid so they couldn't easily modify it too much.' Kai stepped up to the holo display and jacked his cybernetics into the port. As he glanced around the room there seemed to be a sombre atmosphere. 'Guys I'm fine, this is actually a good thing, now we have some idea of what we're going into this way.' He said to the room.

'Thanks we appreciate it.' Quill said. Kai turned his focus back to the display as the lay out of the place appeared before them. It was build in three layers. Large training rooms on each level as well as various smaller admin rooms, surgical units, power core and security hubs. Even without the plans coded into his system Kai would have been able to draw a detailed map. He spent a very long time planning out his escape from the place. He needed to know every walkway, every room and every last detail before he made his move. It was a good thing too as the headaches he had splitting his head apart when he left meant he had to rely on instinct to get him to the escape pods. The guardians listened intently to Kai's explanation of the base. He rounded the conversation off with a general guess of how they should proceed when they arrived. 

'I mean couldn't we just use one of Rocket's toys to turn this place into fragments? Save us the trouble of going in?'' Quill asked. 

'No, like I mentioned before the base is built into an asteroid that has a high concentration of Iron along with other metals. It's a natural fortress. I doubt anyone has the kind of fire power in a ship this size to do any damage to that place. There's a reason the Nova Corps didn't level this place. I'm going to assume at this stage that they thought the place was beyond repair, so they simply told me they destroyed it knowing I would never want to return there anyway.' Kai was burying his anger. He would have plenty of questions for Nova Prime once he saw her again. _If I see her again_ he corrected himself. 

'So what? We planning on knocking on the front door pretending to sell scout cookies?' Rocket asked. 

'The base relies heavily on it's surroundings and it's secrecy to keep it safe. It's a scientific base not a war fortress. The _Benatar's_ primary weapons will be more than enough fire power to blow open the hanger doors at the main entrance. Once inside the security systems should seal the breach autonomously. To ensure Project Lotus doesn't escape I would suggest we use the pod to plant proximity detonators at the service hanger entrance. That way if she tries to flee with any luck she'll blow herself up and save us the trouble.' Kai suggested. 

'I love the way your mind works.' Rocket said nudging Kai's arm. 'I can throw something like that together in no time.' He said smiling with the prospect of creating something deadly. 

'Great, you should probably be the one to place them as well. How many people can you fit in the pod?' Kai asked. He had only glimpsed the pod a few times to assess if he could pilot it, he didn't pay any attention to the capacity as he would have only been taking the pod without permission to finish this assignment without the Guardians' help. 

'It can carry four people comfortably.' Gamora answered. 

'Okay then we should split into two task forces then. Some should go with Rocket and the rest should go with the main ship to invade the base. If we make it to this security point we can disable the defences and sweep through the base in a pincer manoeuvre meeting up at the second level here.' Kai traced the pattern on his interface device and the pathing appeared on the holo display. Honestly this level of planning was far beyond what the Guardian's were used to. Kai was too military for this group but it was a plan. What seemed like consent murmured through the room and that was good enough for Kai. He excused himself and suggested they reconvene in an hour to move forward with the plan. In the mean time he had something to deal with. Kai turned on his heel and strode out of the room. Rocket stormed after him. 

'Hey!' Rocket called. 'Wait up, you wanna talk about this or what?' Kai turned and but looked down quickly as he met Rocket's gaze. 

'Actually I do need to ask you something.' Kai admitted. 'It's kinda dangerous but, if you can, is there any chance you can create a short rage EMP emitter? It needs to be targeted.' Kai looked at him.

'Well I could maybe modify one of my guns. Be easier to just create a bomb though, more effective too if your planning on knocking out the base with it.' Rocket said scratching his head, ideas already turning in his mind. 

'No! No... I mean. I've got neural networking Rocket. A bomb would fry me just as much as it would any other computer. I don't know what it would do to me but I don't want to find out.' Kai said with fear on his face. 

'Then why do you want me to be messing around with that stuff then?' 

'When I saw Project Lotus on the space port there were no life signs Rocket. She may have uploaded her consciousness or might be controlling that mechanical body somehow but the most logical way to take her out would be a localised EMP. I figured if anyone can do that it's you. Sorry if I'm asking too much.' Kai looked at Rocket to gauge his reaction but if anything he looked excited.

'I'll need more time, an hour for this kinda work ain't enough. Need two at least but I can do it hehe.' Rocket gave a big grin to Kai. He was so proud to be showing off his skills. Kai smiled and crouched down. He gave Rocket a kiss and his heart skipped a beat as he felt Rocket's paws on the neckline of his top pulling him in deeper. As he they finally separated Kai was surprised Rocket wouldn't meet his gaze. He cupped his chin and asked. 

'What's wrong?' 

'I'm gonna help you through this. You're like me, I know it, you're acting like this isn't a big deal but to you it is.' Rocket finally looked at Kai. His mind flickered back to their conversation on Xandar about being afraid. 

'I've got a few things I need to take care of.' Kai said as he processed Rocket's words. 'Look I...' Kai didn't know what to say in response. He just let Rocket pull him in for a hug. Kai breathed in the scent of his fur and nuzzled into it's softness. For a few secret moments he listened to Rocket breathing and felt the furry arms pull him in tight. It was a sanctuary that he didn't want to leave but had to. Slowly he stood up as Rocket eased his grip. 

'Thanks Rocky.' Kai mumbled with a blush on his cheeks and an embarrassed smile. 

'Any time handsome.' Rocket winked with what he though was his right eye and swaggered off with a cocky grin over his shoulder. Rocket felt like he was on top of the world. Here was a guy that actually felt comforted by him. He wasn't a joke to Kai, Kai wasn't laughing at him like the rest of the universe and that felt great. All he ever really wanted was respect and in Kai he found that and so much more. Even better he was now off to make some very dangerous toys and might even get to use these one's. It had been far too long since he got to blow something up. The rest of the team really didn't put his best talents to use. 

Kai watched him saunter off to his little workshop before he headed back to his own room. He needed to run through all the information he had and do his usual preparation for these kinds of ventures. He also needed some time to master his inner demons about the coming events. 

\-----

The _Benatar_ made it's way through the jump point and arrived in the Ra'zen system. They remained hidden on the far side of the planet from the asteroid base to avoid detection. Quill left Gamora in the cockpit to keep an eye on things while Mantis and Drax hovered about on the main deck one looking a little apprehensive while the other was chomping at the bit to get his hands bloody. 

Quill made his way to Rocket's workshop and found him still busy at work tinkering with his latest weapons.

'How we looking Rocket? We should be heading out soon I don't like sitting around this close to a crazed psychopath.' 

'Yeah, yeah well I'm almost done. You getting in my ear about it ain't gonna speed things along.' Rocket grumbled back. 

'Is it going to work?' Quill asked innocently, immediately getting Rocket's hackles up.

'Is it going to work? Who do you think you're talking to?! I do everything around here. Of course it's going to work.' Rocket continued to mumble insults under his breath as he tightened up the loose ends and did his last checks. Kai appeared at doorway and Quill gave him a look that said _Tread carefully he's in one of those moods_. Kai just smirked and walked past Quill. 

'Alright Rocket what have you got for me?' Kai said loud and assertively. 

'Proximity mines, localised blast and ability to track engine signatures that drift too close and the way I'm gonna lay 'em out at the front door these babies will be sticking to any ship that even thinks about leaving.' He said with a smug look. 

'Great, wouldn't expect anything less.' Kai gave his shoulder a quick squeeze and smiled at his proud companion. 'What about the EMP device, any luck there?'

'You know it. Modified my collapsible rifle for it, you're welcome. Effective range isn't great, we're talking five to ten meters tops but the shielding around the emitter should stop it going off in all directions. Only issue is this puppy takes a lot of energy, I'll have two, maybe three, shots before the energy pack is dead.' Rocket scrunched his eye brows, unhappy he had so little time to throw this together. If he had more of a heads up he would have been able to do something with replaceable cartridges for the battery pack or figure a more efficient discharge. It was the best he could do for now. 

'Good thing you're such a good shot then.' Kai said with encouragement. 'So last thing I wanted to talk to you about. I don't want to leave any part of this base intact this time. I want it gone for good.' Kai's face took on a shadowy tone and the hatred for the place was all too evident.

'So what we need to find the self destruct button or something?' Quill piped up from the doorway. Rocket and Kai turned surprised he was even still there. Both their expressions were of disbelief. 

'Is he joking?' Kai asked Rocket.

'Sadly no, he's just dumb.' Rocket smirked. 

'Hey it was a genuine question!' Quill shifted awkwardly.

'Why would anyone build a base or anything for that matter with a self destruct button? Unless it's you know.... a bomb. Then and only then would it even make sense but we call that a detonator.' Kai tried not to sound like he was calling Quill a moron but he was acting like one right now. 

'Whatever figure it out and meet us on the main deck. Just trying to join in with conversation...' Quill wandered off still talking to himself.

'Right, back to what I was gonna say. The energy supply to this base is probably out of date and in need of repairs but even if it's still running smooth it can be overloaded. I've been back through all the info I kept on the place but I can't remember or find how I was planning on doing it.' Kai said frustrated. 

'But if you did that you would have been blown away with it.' Rocket said stating the obvious. 

'Look you know what it was it was like for me there. If I couldn't escape it was the best alternative.' Rocket could see Kai was serious. 

'But you don't wanna do that now do you?' He asked almost unsure about whether or not he wanted to hear the answer. 

'No of course not.' Kai said cupping Rocket's face with his hand and sliding his fingers along his ear. 'I was wondering if you would know how to delay the over load enough that we could all get out in one piece? My understanding is rudimental at best, figured you might be able to do something like that?' Kai saw a look of panic come over Rocket's face. It was strange as usually he was more than happy to blow things up. Images of his nightmares were flying through Rocket's mind though. Fire, a base falling part, his friends being torn apart or sucked into space. 

'I don't know Kai.' Rocket said with a sigh as he sat down. 

'I mean, it was just a thought, we can always come back after this is done with some demolition plans.' Kai felt like he had said the wrong thing and back tracked. Rocket just mumbled an agreement. Kai wanted to understand but right now they needed to get moving. Hopefully they would have time to talk this out later. 'Let's get to the main deck, forget I asked okay?' Kai forced a smile to try and cover his disappointment. Rocket knew that wasn't what Kai wanted to hear but he wasn't willing to tempt fate by following a path that had been shown to him time and time again and always ended in disaster. Little did he know however one often meets their fate on the path they chose to avoid it. 

\-----

The whole crew gathered on the main deck. Kai took charge and explained as simply as possible their intended plan. He directed a lot of his attention to Drax and Mantis. Drax because he had a real issue paying attention it seemed and Mantis needed some encouragement. She was still very green when it came to violent situations. It was agreed that Groot would stay with Rocket in the pod to lay the mines before they moved to re-join the group. Drax would accompany them as an extra precaution. Gamora was to stay with Mantis and keep her out of trouble as best as possible. Kai was taking point on this assignment as he knew the base best and that left Quill as rear guard if they needed to make a hasty retreat back to the ship. 

They suited up, armed to the teeth and an odd air filled the ship. It was a strange quiet feeling and no one seemed to be able to sit still. All talk ceased as they moved beyond the planet of Ra'zen and into the asteroid belt. Quill weaved his way through the rocks with ease and as they approached ever closer to their destination Rocket led his team to the pod so they could begin their separate mission. Kai watched him leaving the flight deck and felt a wave of uncertainty in his gut. He was getting too old for this stuff. He got out of his seat and dashed to the stairs sliding straight down them.

'Rocket hold up.' He called. Rocket stopped and turned before waving Groot and Drax to get seated in the pod. 'Look I...' Kai began. 

'No.' Rocket said, cutting him off. Kai went to speak again but Rocket stopped him. 'No, I ain't doing no goodbye bull shit. Jus' another day on the job you got it?' Kai blushed, feeling embarrassed. Rocket was right. They had said everything they needed to say. Getting emotional right now was more likely to take their mind off the task at hand. Kai knew better than that and was grateful Rocket reminded him of it. 

'Don't take too long catching up with us alright?' Kai said shaking off his nerves. 

'Why you gonna miss me?' Rocket said crossing his arms with a cocky grin on his face. 

'No, just don't want you to miss out on all the action.' Kai grinned and headed back up to the cockpit. 

Kai heard the pod detach and saw it head off at speed. He breathed deep and steeled his resolve for the coming moments and fought back the fear of the unknown. Quill prepped the thrusters and said something childish that Kai paid no attention to. His eyes were locked on their target. Moments later he was pushed back into his seat as the _Benatar_ roared toward their target. It was time to bring an end to this operation and this time Kai swore it would be for good. He was going to do it right this time and correct his past mistakes. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 20/02 - Hi guys sorry I haven't posted a new chapter yesterday. I'm really not happy with what I have, it feels more like I'm just putting words on a page right now so I'm taking some extra time to figure out how I want to end this. I need to step back and figure out if there will be anything beyond this or at least maybe leave myself some room to expand since I've been enjoying the process so much. I want to complete the story in a satisfying way so it's a true complete work but maybe not leave it at a dead end. Anyway, apologies again for not posting but wanted you to know it's because I actually care about this not because I've forgotten about it and moved on to other things.


	21. Present Danger Pt.1

The large rock came into view briefly as the _Benatar_ weaved through the asteroid belt. Rocket's pod was blazing toward the lower near side of the giant form taking a more direct path. Quill wanted to stay out of view for as long as possible so despite the greater speed of his ship they were trailing further behind by the second. They had to make it to the far side and allow time for Rocket's crew to begin placing the mines to prevent any unwanted escapes happening. An agonizing minute passed until his voice came through the speakers. 

**Rocket -** Placing the first unit now, need you to make some noise Quill. 

**Quill -** That's what I do best! 

The _Benatar_ picked up more speed and left the cover of the smaller rocks. With engines screaming they swerved around the asteroid staying close to the surface before pulling off a fancy turn that landed them right outside the large hanger door. Gamora was at the weapons systems as the main guns unleashed fury on the plated metal. It buckled so quickly the few automated turrets had barely unfurled from their respective units by the time it tore open. Even so Gamora was already on the case, streams of rapid fire tearing the small guns apart before they had barely fired a shot. Seeing the structure weaken Quill launched a heavy round to finish the job and sure enough the shielding crumpled and got ripped out into space with the vacuum of air. Wasting no time they lurched forward and into the hanger space. Kai gripped the arm rest of his seat and watched as the carnage unfolded. He had no role to play just yet and simply had to hold his nerve. 

Their ship swept into the cavernous hanger, by now they had kicked up a hornets nest. A handful of small ships and the one they had been tracking were docked and some of the workers were clambering toward them attempting to put up a fight or perhaps flee the situation. Quill was having none of it. He kept the ship gently moving from side to side and rotated firing their main weapons at the ships leaving them in ruins. 

'Gamora you take out the rest on the ground I'll cover the guns.' Quill commanded.

It hardly needed to be said as Gamora had clocked more turrets descending from the ceilings and as her weapon systems were located under the ship she would never have found the right angle. The _Benatar_ turned slowly and eliminated the threats. Mayhem was all that was left with the few soldiers scattered and desperately trying to get out of harms way. 

'I'm making my way outside, open the ramp and join me when you land.' Kai was already fastening his armoured mask as he finished speaking heading exit the ship. 

Quill didn't argue he just took the ship in closer to the entrance. The air rush had ceased as shields were raised to prevent the entire base losing it's atmosphere. Kai reached the ramp and took a deep breath before bringing his systems online. Each muscle became enlarged and ready to react, his vision sharpened and opened up to take in other spectrums of light. The ramp opened and he could see the floor rushing past. With a clench of his fists his blades burst forth and he dropped out of the ship hitting the floor at a run. It was only fifty meters or so the entrance to the guard post. Within moments a few stray shots arced toward him, the all too familiar feeling of something in the back of his mind pulling him out of the way kicked in and he weaved and twisted without losing speed as they streaked past him harmlessly. Dead ahead, behind part of one of the wrecked ships a guard wearing Nova Corps uniform fired their last shot at him. Kai didn't even budge as it missed by inches, his vision focused in on his face, panic and sweat running down his face. He turned to run but it was much too late for that. Kai crunched into him at full speed his knee connecting with the side of his head as he turned to run. Kai heard the body hit the floor but then it was just another moment lost to time as he raced toward the security terminal. 

Behind him the _Benatar_ had set down. Kai slid to a stop in front of the open entrance and was greeted by three soldier, two crouched one standing, weapons aimed at the opening. His eyes widened but his legs were already launching him skyward out of harms way. Landing in a crouch he pulled out his guns. With a quick roll he fired down the short corridor. The impact sent debris flying everywhere and scattered their small resistance. As Kai stepped back he saw Gamora heading toward him at full speed. Quill was airborne putting his quad blasters to good use by disabling the last of the automated defences. Kai holstered his weapons again and dashed down the corridor. At close quarters the small canons would do more harm than good and he was more than comfortable replying on his blades and reflexes in this environment. despite the damage to the wall surrounding it, the heavy door to the guard post was still intact. There was a small port hole window in the door and Kai could see a Guard standing by the console looking terrified but perhaps prepared to stand his ground. Kai pulled back for a moment as Gamora and Quill joined him in the entrance way. 

**Rocket -** Kai come in we got a problem.

 **Kai -** Go ahead Rocket, what's happening? 

**Rocket-** Mines are all placed but the blast doors are too much for this pod to handle, we don't got the fire power to get in this way.

_Kai cursed as Rocket pointed out the flaw in their plan. He looked back at the guard post though and smiled. They must have access to the other systems through that._

**Kai -** Hold tight, I'll get them open for you. 

Kai stepped up to the door again. Reaching behind him he took out a few small devices from a pouch on his belt. He placed them on the weakest flat planes of the door and walked back. Quill and Gamora looked at him quizzically as he tapped a few buttons his interface device. Small shots sounded like little explosion followed by a horrid screeching sound. The device punctured through the door before anchoring on the far side, they then pulled closer together with extreme force bending the weakest structures in the door until it fell apart completely. Quill and Gamora were not aware that Kai had such devices but guessed there must be a reason he and Rocket got on so well. Kai was already at the door and striding through it. They heard a strangled scream get cut off and rushed into the office. 

Kai had the guard by the throat off the floor in one arm. His face was menacing like a rabid dog. He viciously smashed the guy in the stomach as he released his grip and the guard was thrown across the small room like a rag doll by the force. Weakly he tried to get to his feet as Kai went for him again.

'You will open the other hanger door now and that's NOT a request!' Kai bellowed as he went to grab hold of the guy. 

Before he reached him though Gamora hand an iron grip on Kai's wrist and Quill was standing between him and the guard. The idiot had turned his back to an enemy, Kai couldn't believe what he was seeing. He managed to fight his impulse to throw off Gamora but it was a challenge while he was so fired up. 

'What the hell are you doing exactly?' Kai asked through gritted teeth. 

'That's not how we do things, they might be on the wrong side but we have other methods.' Quill said with his hand twitching on his quad blasters. 

_The bastard is actually thinking about using them on me_ Kai thought as his systems analysed his movements and suggested intent. Before he could argue further though Mantis stepped into the room. She had a small firearm of her own but she was holding it awkwardly and not pointing it at any one. Kai eyed her confused. 

'I can make stubborn people compliant.' She said in a confident voice staring Kai down. He couldn't help but respect her for it. 

The guard had found his feet by now and was clutching a hand to his presumably broken ribs. He backed away a few steps as Mantis moved closer to him. Gamora released her grip on Kai with a warning look and Kai snorted at. Honestly he didn't know who would win in a fair fight between the two of them. With her reputation Kai bitterly accepted it wouldn't be easy taking her on but he would be up for the challenge if it ever came to it. For now he was content to sit back and accept their lead on this. 

'Wait!' The guard wheezed holding out a hand as if to stop their advance. 'Why are you here? What do you want?' His eyes darted between the group. The guardians moved aside a little and looked to Kai. 

'We have come to understand that an ex-member of the Nova elite previously known as Project Lotus has been experimenting on lower life forms. I am here to bring an end to her.' Kai spoke like a typical Nova officer and it annoyed Quill no end. It was just a good thing Rocket wasn't around, he would have never let this go. 

'I am no ally of that evil creature. Me and every one on this base are practically her slaves. You have to believe me!' He had fear all over his face, the man had clearly experienced awful things and it was enough for Kai to soften his attitude. 'Look she infiltrated the Project division after she left the Corps, she was disgraced as far as official records go but there were plenty still working there that agreed with her on some level. Slowly she turned us to her side and we came here. Prime never even advertised the amount of people that had left, she covered it up. Too scared to lose her new found power I bet.'

'Watch your mouth.' Kai glowered at him.

'Right... anyway we came here willingly that much is true but then she started trying to change us. At first it was like she was trying to help, to do the best for us, but then the first few full changes were made. One or two at first and they came back with eyes... eyes like yours.' He was looking at Kai and the metallic gleam his irises took on when his systems were active. 'They weren't themselves anymore and they followed her every beck and call. That was when things turned bad. She controls everything around here and if you try to fight her she sends her zombie warriors and you disappear.' The man had gone pale talking about it. 

'That must have been why she was collecting all that data and the advanced surgical equipment, to augment higher life forms.' Gamora stated with a creased forehead. 

'That's only the beginning. She keeps going on about becoming the first Galactic Prime. She wants to destroy the Kree and I'll admit that's why I joined her. Those bastards killed half my family and I've lost countless brothers in arms to their incessant attacks despite the peace treaty. I lost my home and everything I ever loved when Ronan attacked Xandar. But once she over throws the Kree she plans on augmenting them. ALL of them. She calls it "putting them to good use". She'll use them to take over Xandar and then keep expanding, with every planet she takes over she'll create more of her blasted metallic zombie soldiers and keep going until everything and everyone is augmented and under her control.' 

'Then you understand why you have to help us, open the hanger doors on the far side of this base and disable the security systems.' Kai got straight back to business. He didn't like the idea of Rocket waiting around in a small pod this long. 

'You don't understand! If I help you there will be hell waiting for me if you fail. I won't become a creature like you!' The guard spat at Kai. 

Kai balled his fists and his blades ripped forward as he began to advance but Mantis stepped in front of him. 

'He is only scared, we do not need to hurt him.' She turned and walked toward the man. 

The guard desperately looked about for a weapon to defend himself but there was nothing. He didn't see Mantis reaching to touch him on the side of his neck. By then it was too late. 

'You will open the hanger for us and disable the security systems.' her antenna glowed as she spoke. 

'I can disable the systems on this level but I have no access to the lower levels. They are controlled from the main lab on level three.' His face lost it's worried look and a calm almost helpful tone entered his voice as he stepped to the console and did as Mantis had requested. 

**Kai -** Rocket? You got access? 

**Rocket -** Yeah 'bout time.

 **Kai -** Make your way to the access tunnel to the second level we'll meet you there. Automated defences should be down but you might meet some resistance from the security forces. 

**Rocket -** Sir, yes sir!

 **Kai -** Dick...

Rocket's laughter took over the comm system as they turned back to the situation at hand. Mantis had released the guard and he was looking worried and confused about why he had just done exactly as they asked. Quill mentioned to her that she should put him to sleep for now so he couldn't cause any more problems but he snapped to attention at that. 

'Wait! Please! Some of my garrison are still being held in the residential section.' He cried. 

'Residential section?' Quill scoffed. 

'It's what they call the holding cells in this hell hole. I was never called a prisoner or subject, the bastards that ran this place referred to me as a resident. Think it helped their warped minds accept and dismiss what they were doing to me and everyone else.' Kai looked at the floor with bitter rage barely concealed. 

'Look they're good people please help them, they haven't been there too long, a few days at most while she was away. If they're still.... I mean if they haven't been... please, just help them if you can.' The guard clenched his jaw as his eyes misted up. They could all feel how powerless he must have felt seeing his friends and colleagues being experimented on and tortured with no choice but to put on his uniform and carry on unless he wanted to be next for the butchers knife.

'Those people made their decision the second they left Xandar and the Nova Corps for a sadistic exile.' Kai was having none of it. He had his objective set and it was to end things here and that meant going after Project Lotus, not acting like a hero. 

'If there are people down there we have to try and help.' Gamora cut in as Kai had already turned to walk away. Kai turned to her with an incredulous expression. 

'She's right, they didn't know what they were getting themselves in for. If anything they should face justice on Xandar not left to die here. I know you're probably seeing them as the same people that tortured you but they're just victims at this stage.' Quill added standing side by side with Gamora. 

Kai saw the truth in Quill's words, he was blaming them for what was done to him. He suggested they discuss this once they met up with the others as they were losing precious time. They mumbled an agreement and Mantis reached out, touching the guard, and commanded him to sleep. He wouldn't wake for a long time. As they headed to meet up with Rocket, Groot and Drax, Kai began running through his mind the way he was acting and the words Irani had told him when they spoke on Xandar. _They might be able to help you more than I ever did_ the words echoed through his mind. Maybe this was what she was talking about. Kai had a very aggressive manner when dealing with situations and that was what had been taught to him by the Corps and Prime. Maybe there was another way after all. 

\-----

They group made their way to meet point, no one was in sight. At first they thought there had been an evacuation but Rocket's group had reported no one heading in their direction. On closer inspection the rooms they passed weren't a mess because of recent activity but rather they seemed to have fallen into a shambles out of neglect. Thinking about it the small number of guards present at the hanger seemed out of place. Eventually they stumbled across a female guard that dashed out of a store room, she rushed at them bravely hoping to catch them off guard, but Quill had sent her to the ground with a stun shot without breaking his stride. Only Mantis had jumped from the sudden out burst and hoped no one had noticed. They did notice but no one mentioned it, she was still quite new to this line of work after all. 

Kai could hear a group heading their way, as they were close to the meet up point he guessed it was the rest of their team. He signalled for the others to stay back as he rounded the corner. Immediately tendrils dashed out either side of him, he turned his body and weaved through them but as he went to move forward they swept back around taking out his feet. Before he hit the ground he felt more above him that slammed him into the ground knocking the wind clean out of him. 

'Groot... it's me bud.' Kai wheezed removing his armoured mask. 

His augments had identified the tendrils as Groot and prevented him following a course of violent action. Never the less he was impressed at how well Groot had pulled off the techniques he had been teaching him. 

'I am Groot.' He said with an embarrassed look on his face. 

'It's fine.' Kai laughed. 'That was a perfect take down, you're on your way to becoming a force to be reckoned with.' Kai smiled at Groot as he got up. 

'Hold up what you been teaching him exactly?' Rocket asked sounding a bit peeved. 

'I've been teaching him some basic techniques to maximise the use of his vines. They're a really viable tool in battle and I thought I could show him some things. Might come in handy one day.' Kai said.

During the spare time since they bonded on Xandar Kai had been teaching Groot. He wanted to connect with Groot and this was an area of expertise for Kai. He also thought it would be practical. In the hours before they had arrived on the base Kai made sure to speak to Groot. They were going to the place he was made and was worried they might come up against similar beings as himself. He wasn't sure but he needed a contingency plan. He wasn't happy explaining to the others about the weaknesses in his defences but teaching Groot the basic patterns that would out fox his system's decision making felt safe enough. He wouldn't be able to explain in detail to anyone else how to replicate it and no one fought like Groot did anyway. Naturally Kai didn't teach him all of his weaknesses just enough so Groot would be safe going up against similar enemies, the techniques would be just as effective against anyone that stood on two legs though. Rocket seemed to be conflicted about the idea of Kai teaching Groot things without his knowledge but it made sense. More than anything he felt a bit bad that he hadn't thought about preparing Groot for violent situations. He shrugged his shoulders and the group came together. 

'So if we ever need to kick your ass then it'll be Groot's job.' Rocket said with a smirk to Kai. 

'I am Groot!' Groot was more than pleased at the idea apparently. Kai flashed Groot a smile, pleased they had moved past any previous awkwardness. 

'Right so what's the plan from here then?' Rocket asked.

'There's been a complication on that front.' Kai said turning to Quill. 

'There are more ex-Nova Corps soldiers on this base that are being held in the lower levels. According to one of the guards they are being turned into zombie soldiers for the psychopath that's running this operation so I think we should at least see if there's something we can do to help.' Quill was adamant about this. 

'Save them? Why? They chose to join up with the crazy woman.' Rocket was not on board with a rescue mission. 

'Rocket how can you say that? They'll be turned into god knows what, they didn't ask for that.' Gamora cut in. 

'But our main objective is to take out Project Lotus and shut this place down it's the best way to help them.' Kai was only focused on one goal here and didn't want distractions getting in the way. There was always collateral damage in these situations and cutting the head off the snake was his preferred option to deal with the present danger she posed to the galaxy. He also had a deep feeling of dread about having to look at the detention facilities again. The hours and sometimes days he would spend in them, terror eating away at his soul waiting for them to come drag him back to the labs.

'Fine then we split up. You can go after Lotus and we'll go check out the detention level.' Gamora suggested. 

Kai thought about this for a few moments. It wasn't a terrible idea except he didn't trust he could fight his way through the lowest level of the base by himself. He also wanted the EMP device Rocket had devised as an insurance policy against his enemy. He was too nervous to handle the weapon himself. The cogs in his mind began turning and a plan was already forming. He tapped a few commands on his interface device and brought up a holo map of base. The others were all watching and waiting for his response. 

'Okay we're here at the main access to the second level.' Kai began.

It was a large platform that would descend at an angle to the next level. From there the base branched out into research labs, living quarters and the detention block for holding their subjects and keeping them separate at all times. Not far from where they will arrive at the second level there was an maintenance shaft connected to the third level. Kai had previously considered this as a way to get to their target faster but by doing so they would end up fighting both the enemies in front of them and behind and he didn't predict that would end well. But now they were planning on dividing if a main force assaulted the second level and made their way to the detention facilities a smaller team could use the maintenance shaft and make their way to the main lab on the third level. With enough noise on the second level they might be able to sneak straight through. It had it's risks but there would always be risks in these scenarios no matter how much planning and care was taken. 

'Okay so this base only has one main entry and exit point between levels.' Kai began.

'That's foolish who even designed this place?' Gamora snorted. 

'Scientists did and they weren't building a fortress they were building an illegal facility. I don't think they thought about the practicalities of open warfare.' Kai said with a look that asked _Are you done?_ Gamora shrugged and motioned for him to continue. 

'Right, so with that being said there are maintenance shafts built in. Right here not far from the entry to the second level if I split off while you make as much noise as possible I can get down to the third level and push on from there. I need you to draw the attention of any resistance on the second level so I don't end up pinned in with no where to go.' So far everyone seemed to be keeping up. 

'The third level has one main path that run straight to the testing facility and the main lab just beyond it. I used to call it death alley as they defences along this straight road are the highest in the facility. If any of their test subjects tried to leave or broke out of the testing grounds they would be put down within moments.' Kai's information was based on the facility as it used to be but he assumed things would have been kept the same. 

'And you want to fight your way through there on your frickin own?!' Rocket didn't like the sound of that at all. 

'Well not exactly on my own...' Kai gave Rocket a nervous smile.

'Ah shit.' Rocket knew what he meant.

'Look, I need some form of back up and you have the EMP rifle. It will be mostly ranged combat through this section so that means it would have to be you or Peter and I'll go out on a limb and say you still want to go on a rescue mission?' Kai asked Peter. 

'I don't like it but it sounds like the best option we've got left.' Quill responded. 'It's up to you though Rocket we can stay together on this one if you prefer? The balls in your court.' Rocket sighed as Quill finished speaking.

'Why would we need a ball and where is this court? I do not see it on the map?' Drax asked. 

'It's a meta... ah forget it at least you're actually paying some attention for a change.' Peter said deflated. Attention turned to Rocket as Drax hmphed. 

'What the hell, as long I get to blow some stuff up.' Rocket agreed with another sigh and pulled his collapsible blaster rifle off of his back and checked it over. 

Kai turned the holo display off and they made their way onto the platform. No one spoke as Rocket pulled the lever and it lurched to life, the grinding gears cranking them further into the base and into the next fight. They readied their weapons and waited to be greeted by the horrors that may be lurking there. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the delay but I hope it was worth the wait. Decided to split this chapter into two as it would be a mammoth chapter otherwise and I still want to play around with the second half before I post. 
> 
> Hope you're doing well and I'll catch you again next week.


	22. Present Danger Pt.2

They didn't have much time to breath after the platform crunched to a stop. Looking about they were presented with a wide entry way that branched off into different paths. Sure enough over on the far right side there was an alley that appeared to be a dead end but on closer inspection there was a frame work built into the wall. The group took a few steps into the open space and felt the unease of the situation. Slowly but surely mechanical whining could be heard coming closer and closer. 

'Well? Where do we go?' Rocket asked Kai. He didn't feel any need to wait around to meet what was coming. 

'We need to hold this position and make a show of force, then Quill will move off in that direction with the others but keep the enemy interested.' Kai was mostly just curious to see what was coming. 

He didn't have long to wait as moments after they had separated to each side danger erupted from the far end of the space. Fully automated turrets mounted on four legs came charging around the corner. Their movement looked unnatural. They didn't hesitate for a second the moment they entered the space their rapid fire began tearing chunks off the corners of where ever the guardians had taken up position. Quill tried several times to lean around and fire back but their fire was oppressive. Two larger turrets standing five feet high walked slowly into the space from either corner. A hissing sound split the air as they lowered to the floor. 

'Oh shit.' Kai cursed as he recognised the sound. 'Rocket give me some cover fire now!' Rocket barely had time to react as Kai dashed out into the open. Seeing Kai move out Drax was not one to be left behind. With a battle cry he charged out from the far side and sprinted at the turrets. Most of them targeted Kai who was forced to swing left and right before leaping at the wall to flip over the arc of one of the turrets firing at him. He needed to take out the big guns before they set up. Their fire power was not something they would be able to defend against and would make getting past them almost impossible. As Kai leaned forward for the final dash to tear the machine apart he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Drax had leapt into the air and came crashing down into the gun on the left. Kai skidded to a stop as the brute lifted the gun up by it's barrel and swung it into it's twin. The metal twisted and crashed into the ground partially blocking the path to the right hand side of the space taking out some of the smaller guns that weren't fast enough to get clear. The commotion was enough of a break for the others to unleash hell on the mechanical enemies. Drax and Kai sweeping through the one's closest to them. 

'Get clear!' Quill yelled as he launched a couple of grenades to the far end. They didn't need to be told twice, Drax and Kai pulled back to their respective groups as the air rippled and the ground shook with the explosives. 

'Alright that was the first wave.' Kai announced. 

'First wave? I thought that was all of them?' Quill said disappointed. 

'There will be more on the way, you guys need to move off now and make as much noise as you can.' Kai.

'My voice will thunder through this place, all shall fear it by the time I am done!' Drax roared and made off toward their destination. Gamora yelled for him to wait but he wasn't listening. Hurriedly they set off after him. Moments later Kai and Rocket could hear more blaster shots and yelling. 

'Right our turn.' Kai moved to the end of the alleyway. The access panel was simple enough to remove but the sound that echoed out as it came loose made the pair cringe. Luckily the others seemed to be making enough of a scene that they had gone completely unnoticed so far. The space inside was fairly large and Kai eased into the shaft placing his hands and feet on either side. 

'Follow after me Rocky, just take things slow and quiet as possible.' Kai began sliding down as Rocket protested. 

'Wait what kind of plan is this?' He cried keeping his voice as low as possible. 

'What?' Kai asked confused. 

'My frickin arms aren't that long ya idiot! I can't ninja slide down that thing!' Rocket was annoyed and a bit embarrassed. 

'Crap sorry, yeah of course. Right climb on my back then.' Mumbling some curses Rocket put his gun back over his back and climbed into the shaft holding onto Kai they began to descend. 

\-----

The panel came flying off the wall with the small explosives Rocket had placed. Without hesitating Kai dropped the last few meters and sprung out of the shaft onto his knees. Rocket clung to his shoulders before leaping off pulling his rifle out as he landed in a crouch. Kai levelled his pistols covering his side of the space. They blinked and looked about but nothing sprung out or attacked them. It was dead. Slowly they stood up and took in the scene. 

'This place is huge.' Rocket said. 

'Yeah welcome to Death Alley.' Kai replied but the description seemed out of place.

The walkway stretched out almost a hundred meters in length. On either side of the street sized space there were large doors and small passageways. Some of the labs had wide glass windows so the operations and tests could be observed. Almost comically there had been plant life and benches running down the center during Kai's time there. It was an absurd reflection of a retail sector but instead of items to buy there were life forms strapped to tables screaming and pulling at their restraints or lying fairly still as tears streamed down their face having given up completely. The barren stretch with empty plant beds and ransacked benches felt like seeing the ghost of his nightmares. These thoughts were going through Kai's mind as they began walking down toward the far end. The floor and walls were clean at least and bright lights lit the space still giving it a clinical feel. As they passed the first rooms Kai and Rocket remained on their guard and for good reason. 

'Move!' Kai shouted as he dove to the side. Rocket launched into the air almost immediately landing on the far side to Kai. The floor where they had been standing burst into fragments and Kai strained to look where it had come from. Right at the far end a long barrel pointed their direction. Seemingly blended into it's surrounding no wonder they had missed it at first glance. It was the sound that kicked everything into motion. They must have been under surveillance as the attack came out of no where but at the first shot the defences Kai had remembered came to life. Gatling turrets unfurled from the ceilings and rose from the floor, a few of the smaller one's detached from their base and began moving toward the pair. 

'You shoot my side I'll shoot yours!' Rocket yelled. He leaned around the corner and started firing. A small automaton came crashing down from it's place on the wall. His mind was working a mile a minute and he switched targets a few more times before their fire hammered into the area surrounding him and he cursed as he hide behind again, some chips of wall grazing his muzzle and arms. 

'My turn.' Kai had switched up his weapons to full power again. He walked out arms out stretched and fired one at a time slowly and intentionally targeting the most immediate threats. The advantage of the high impact rounds was the amount of dust and smoke they threw into the space. A smokescreen of sorts began to obscure the vision of the turrets further down the deadly stretch. It made their accuracy drop but added to the randomness. 

'Okay Rocket move up and swap sides!' Kai called. He was familiar with urban warfare and right now he felt like he was back in the Corps forging a path forwards to claim territory in some of the more built up cities now under Nova control. They zig-zagged further down the street using either side of it for cover, sometimes getting pinned down by fire and having to lie almost on the floor behind the heavy concrete planters in the center of the space. 

'There's no end to this!' Rocket shouted. They had gained some space having moved forward almost a third of the full distance but the defences had intensified. For every static turret they took out it felt like two more came walking forward through the dusty smokescreen. They had failed to make any move forward for nearly a minute. If their positions were over run they were screwed, keeping their enemy in front of them was the only way out of this. 

'Hang tight I've got an idea.' Their main issue was the heavy guns further down the street. The long gun at the far end had stopped firing as the vision was so low it couldn't identify it's targets. Kai was so grateful they didn't opt for infrared targeting, if there had been a military mind involved in the creation of this base this would have been suicide. 

'Just hold this position the best you can Rocket and draw their fire.' Kai stepped back from the wall and aimed both weapons at it. He fired a couple shots then a couple more until the wall collapsed and opened up into one of the larger labs. Dashing through the hole he sprinted to the far side and did the same again. Rocket could see exactly what he was doing, he was making his way through the labs so he could hit the Gatling turrets that were pinning them down in the side. The four legged turrets seemed to be aware of the sudden commotion and began slowly turning and stepping toward where Kai was. 

'Oh no you don't, get some of this!' Rocket yelled charging into the open. He sprayed his blaster rifle shots in a wide arc before launching into the air and throwing out a batch of small explosives. They hit the floor and lit up red and began rolling toward the turrets. with a click of a button they exploded taking out a handful of the turrets in one sweep. He barely had time to give a smug grin though as two streams of fire came swerving toward him. His eyes went wide as there was no where to run. At that moment a black clad figure came bursting out further down the stretch. 

Kai lunged through the air and buried a long blade into the inner working of the first Gatling turret. Leaping on top he sprung to the other and gave it the same treatment. He tucked down in front of the ruined weapon for cover and began taking out the others with his hand cannons. Now they had their back to him and were pinned in from both sides they struggled to prioritise a target and were cut down by the pair. 

With the last of the mobile defences down they were left with the long gun and few static turrets to deal with. Rocket flew toward Kai and touched down behind cover. 

'That was a pretty sweet move.' Rocket grinned at Kai. 

'Haha thanks, no gonna lie I'm kind of enjoying this. I think we make a pretty good team.' He called back. 

'Me too.' Rocket laughed back as he took a moment to readjust his equipment. 

'So I've been thinking we could maybe make this a more permanent thing?' Kai said.

'You want to discuss this now?!' Rocket asked bemused as Kai launched a few shots to keep up the smokescreen of dust. 

'It was just a thought.' Kai grumbled as the long gun landed a shot that blew half his cover away, the debris leaving small cuts on his exposed flesh and hammering into his armoured padding. He hastily dashed to the side away from Rocket who returned fire. 

'I'm not saying I don't like the idea but maybe we talk about this AFTER we both leave here in one piece?' Rocket shouted. Kai laughed. 

'Guess I should kick things up a gear then.' Their eyes met and Kai had a dangerous gleam in his eyes. Rocket knew he was about to do something stupid. Before he could tell him to wait though Kai had stepped out and fired some heavy rounds, then holstered his weapons and sprinted at inhuman speed toward the long gun. Rocket was not one to be out done so he took to the air and streamed down the street firing left and right at the few guns remaining. The long gun had trained it's sights on Kai but it's rate of fire was too slow. Each round hitting where he had been not where he was. 

Almost within striking distance Kai prepared to push himself for the final move. For some unknown reason the gun dipped and fired. Kai leapt but the force threw him off balance at an angle and he crashed into the floor, rolling to a stop. He looked up to see the long barrel trained directly at him. His body tensed bracing for impact as Rocket crashed down directly in front of him. A high pitched whine sounded followed by a odd splitting sound. The gun shook and drooped down whilst the lights on the walls around it all went dark before some of them flickering back on. 

'Was that...?' Kai began.

'The EMP yeah, good thing it works. You still breathing then?' Kai looked himself over and felt fine. 

'Yeah I'm good.' He said.

'Awesome, it actually works. Only one more shot, maybe two though.' He extended a paw to held Kai up. He brushed himself down and pulled off his armoured mask to get some air into his lungs. They took a moment to look back down where they came from. The dust was beginning to settle, a few automatons still twitched and sparked and one fell from it's anchor in the ceiling crashing down with a thud. Not bad for an afternoons work really. 

'How did you ever make it through there before?' Rocket asked baffled by the struggle it took the two of them. 

'When I escaped? Oh hell I didn't escape from this level, wouldn't have even tried, it's called "Death Alley" for a reason.' He turned and moved to the large double doors. They were ten feet tall and just as wide. Kai hoped the worst was over with but he knew better than that. He just prayed the others were doing okay, if they had to fight their way back out the chances of success were slim. Gaining access to the main lab though meant he should be able to gain access to the master controls. Turn off the mechanical nightmares and walk out with a skip in his step. He didn't want to count on things being so easy though. With grim determination he nodded to Rocket to start getting the door open. 

\-----

The doors slid aside presenting a large and empty chamber. It was bathed in white light. A wide band of blacked out windows at the far end looked down on the space and smaller ones could be seen along the sides of the cavernous space. More doors smaller but similar in design to the entrance could be seen alongside each of the windows placed evenly along the sides of the space. Kai explained to Rocket that each window and it's respective door gave access to surgical units and testing facilities. The doors were there to release their subjects into the chamber for challenges and to collect data on their latest achievement. This was the place where Kai was attacked relentlessly seeing what gave out first, his body or the latest version of software or hardware they had installed into him. The images flickered through his mind making him tense and on edge.

'But I don't understand this whole place seems empty, so what? Did they just get you to run laps or something?' Rocket asked as they walked through the place keeping a watchful eye out. 

'This floor, parts of the walls and ceiling are made of a rare and advanced material. It has a memory to it and if you pass a specific electrical current through it you can change the terrain at will. There are also various places where they can release automated defences like the one's we were just fighting.' Kai's eyes continued to scan around as they got almost half way across the space. 

Rocket was fascinated by the idea Kai had just mentioned, the applications seemed endless but he didn't voice his thoughts out loud knowing that Kai held such deep resentment for the people that must have created it. 

'Welcome Project Shadow.' A voice echoed from above, booming and laced with venom followed by a cackling laugh. 'I assumed Prime would send her favourite dog to come after me but I must say I'm surprised you brought company, perhaps the rumours aren't so true about you after all.' The voice was coming from all around but it set chills down the pairs' spines knowing they were out in the open and being watched. 

'Come out and face me and I'll show you just what I'm capable of.' Kai roared in the general direction of the viewing windows at the far end. More laughter came in response. 

'And they have the gall to call me uncivilised. You were a fool to come here but at least your corpse might help advance my plans. With your downfall I shall rise to my rightful place while you, like your name sake, shall have vanished like a shadow into obscurity.' As she finished her little speech Kai took in breath to respond but the idea died on his lips as several of the doors to the smaller side labs began to open. 

Kai moved so he was back to back with Rocket. The doors opened and nothing but darkness could be seen except for metallic irises with an unnatural glow. Kai pulled out his pistols as Rocket gripped his rifle. Four of the lab doors had opened but only three sets of eyes could be seen. Kai sharpened his senses and looked closely as the two on his side walked into the light. Barely human anymore they had external wiring, metal bolted roughly to flesh and pipes or cables linking body parts to each other. The surgery looked new, extremely new, to Kai's eyes with the surrounding areas of the augments wet and oozing. 

'They're fresh creations.' Kai voiced his thought out loud. 

'Yeah I could smell blood the second the doors opened.' Rocket replied.

They looked like a nightmarish version of what Kai was. Rocket wondered if at some point Kai had looked like this. He pushed the idea from his mind quickly as it was too awful to think about at that moment. He needed to focus. 

'So what are we thinking Kai?!' Rocket asked nervously as they began shuffling back the way they came as the horrors moved slowly toward them, not breaking their death glare for a moment. 

'I'm thinking I don't like the murderous look in their eyes.' Kai was analysing as much as he could about them and everything was suggesting they were a very similar breed to him. With three of them and one of him he didn't like the idea of having to fight in such an open space. 

'So what now?' Rocket asked. As he finished speaking a clanging sound came from the lab door that seemed empty. Long twisted metal claws gripped the door frame, a few sparks catching as the metals grinded against each other. This was quickly followed by a torso on uneven legs. It's face was red a bloody, half of it's jaw was a mess of metal spikes as it lurched halfway out of the door. It's head snapped in their direction and gave a soul shattering scream as it clocked the pair. 

'Oh my fuck...' Rocket whined as his ears went flat against his head.

'Now? We Run!' Kai grabbed Rocket and slung him onto his back like a rucksack and sprinted back the way they came. Rocket dug his claws into the armoured padding on Kai's shoulder and held on for dear life as he turned wielding his large gun in one paw. He fired off some shots at the monsters after them. They were gaining on them, unburdened they could move faster even if they seemed like they were close to tripping over their own feet as they emerged. Now they were streaking across the chamber with almost supernatural smoothness. All except for the last to emerge, that nightmare was dragging itself along by it's front claws but still managing to keep up an inhuman speed. Rocket shuddered as he saw it tearing up the floor scrabbling after them. 

Kai couldn't fight them in such an open space he needed to get back to the long corridor so he wasn't surrounded as easily. Rocket kept firing at them and sure enough they moved in a similar pattern to Kai. They weaved and twisted around the shots, still it was slowing them enough to make it out of the chamber. Kai leapt down the steps and onto the street still sprinting. 

'How do I fight them? It's like they know where I'm going to shoot.' Rocket growled in frustration. 

'That's how it works. You need to get them off the ground. They can leap but once they leave the ground they are on a set trajectory, they won't be able to do much more than twist.' The lightbulb went off in Rocket's head as Kai explained the weakness in his defences. Desperate times meant he couldn't keep it to himself any longer. 

Rocket vaulted off of Kai's shoulders, as Kai skipped to a stop, and took to the air landing on one of the ruined guns. Kai turned and faced the enemies but they were only seconds behind them. Immediately one charged into him a twisted metal blade of sorts in place of one of it's forearms. It swung high at Kai who ducked under and snapped out his leg to try and throw it off balance but the kick found nothing but air. Alerts screamed in his head as the blade came down in a arc that would have torn his neck and shoulder to pieces. A heavy flurry of bolts hammered into its chest and tore through its wiring. Kai made a mental note to thank his furry boyfriend later but at that moment he surged forward and plunged his own blade deep into the human like creature. With a quick twist black blood pumped out of the hole in the side of it's rib cage and it shuddered before falling to the ground. There wasn't a moment to celebrate though as the next vaulted off the wall and came flying at Kai. Kai's thighs exploded with force and launched him up and away. The enemy was hot on his heels though and mimicked his movements around the space. 

Rocket was pleased to see the first go down but had a moment of worry as the other two mobile enemies went after Kai. His worries quickly switched back to himself however as the gun turret he was balanced on top of began to shake. He glanced down and saw mangled metal teeth clawing ever closer to him. He took to the air and once he had some distance he swung round levelling his rifle at the dreadful thing. It was no longer there though. He panicked and looked about. The roar of his Aero-rig was masking the sound of it's claws. He just managed to catch a glimpse of it as it sprung from the wall above him. It had clambered it's way up the wall nearly to ceiling height to dive bomb him from above. It's tormented screech gave it away just in time for Rocket to react. As Kai had said, once airborne it was an easy target. Rocket yelled as he sent a stream of deadly shots in an arc. The impact slowing it's leap enough that it fell short of Rocket's position and it crashed to the floor, ruined. 

Kai was back tracking and loosing ground with every step, every turn. Time and again the pair came for him, coordinating their attacks in tandem so Kai was left with very limited defensive options. He twisted and slashed, ducked and leapt but the onslaught was non-stop. Rocket watched on but couldn't fire. It was as if they were aware of him and his line of fire and kept themselves moving past Kai's position. Any shots Rocket fired would go wide or be in danger of hitting Kai and add to his misery. This stretched on for an agonising minute or more until Rocket couldn't take it anymore. 

'Kai get clear I'll use another EMP round!' He yelled from above, already charging the shot. 

'No! Trust me.' Kai replied between breaths.

Kai moved to the center of the street and dug his heels in. Seeing their chance the two synths went wide and cut in from either side. Kai made to dodge and they adjusted in time but it was a fake as Kai held his movement. There it was, the closer one lost it's balance for a fraction of a second and that was all Kai needed. He turned and latched onto it's wrist, moving with the momentum he swung and used it's body to batter the other away before continuing the arc and launching it into the nearest wall. The wall caved in and the mechanical body fell hard with some chunks of debris landing on it. Before the other could rise to it's feet Kai had pulled his pistols out and shot systematically at the most likely evasive paths it's programming would choose. He read it like it was choreographed and after three shots it was locked in place as the fourth streaked through the air ripping it's upper half to a bloody pile of scrap metal. 

Rocket had already figured it out. Kai wasn't running, not since they had made it out of the large chamber. He had been leading them on a wild goose chase. He was collecting information on how they move and respond. These things were not like him, they were all programming and set patterns cleverly coded to look like an impossible opponent. Kai had a biological brain to assist, to plan and adapt. He was simply looking for their weak spots and, once he had found them, took them out with effortless grace. 

Kai was pulling his mask off revealing a smile as Rocket dropped to the floor.

'Alright, alright, I'm impressed.' He said to Kai, shaking his head as the idiot smiled even wider. His smile was wiped clean off his face though as Rocket lifted his weapon and fired straight at Kai's head. He threw himself to the side and his eyes went wide as the synth was torn apart by the shot and crumpled in the air, rolling a few times as it hit the floor, finally coming to a stop in a heap.

'You missed one.' Rocket said slinging his gun onto his shoulder with a cocky grin.

'You almost took my face off!' Kai complained.

'Quit your whining, I had to wait for it to leave the ground. You see they can't change their trajectory once they're airborne and you make such good bait.' Rocket parroted Kai's advice back to him with a smug face. 

'Dick.' Kai cursed as he brushed himself down, back on his feet. 

'You still love me?' Rocket asked still looking smug.

'Damnit. Yeah, more than ever actually.' Kai said and couldn't help smiling. Rocket puffed up his chest and grinned back at him extremely proud of himself.

'Think that's the last of them?' Rocket asked as the dust settled once more. 

'Oh this is far from over you vermin.' As they cast their eyes towards the large double doors Project Lotus stood at the top of the steps flanked by many more of her tormented mechanical warriors. Her voice cutting through the brief reprieve. 

Rocket and Kai shared a brief determined glance before he activated his aero-rig once more and landed in a crouch, back on top of the disabled turret as he locked eyes with their target. Kai squared his shoulders on the ground below and dropped into a fighting stance, ready and raring to go another round. It was a tall order but they were hyped up and ready to deal with the ever increasing present danger they found themselves in. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had great fun writing this one hope you guys like it too. Thanks for the continued support it never fails to put a smile on my face seeing a few extra hits and kudos on this fanfic, really means the world to me :3

**Author's Note:**

> I've written this to explore Rocket's character a bit more as Vol.2 had some amazing Rocket moments and I wanted to build on the ideas and put my own spin on it. Feedback and constructive criticism is welcomed. 
> 
> It's my intention to post a new chapter each Friday assuming life doesn't get in the way too much.
> 
> This work is set after the events of GotG Vol. 2.


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